True Love
by Sifirela
Summary: Sad But True, True Love is back up. Sage was a popular man, but didn't like it, so he chose to go another route and made a bad bet on the way, that only made him even more emptier...can he save himself before he makes the biggest mistake of his life! RR!
1. Chapter 1

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Kyoko and plot. Nothing you hear me! I do not own Ronins or anything related to them cries Happy!! **sniffies**

** : Note: **I will try this again and see if I can get a spark to revise this in a whole as I finish it. Yes I know, it's in the format in which it first appeared six years ago. Yes I know it has been that long since I've been working on it. u.u ick. Well I hope you can give me good feedback on it (I mean constructive critisism! Please! Anything will do!) I live on the 'You suck' comments XP because I can! HAHA. This fic has been going on since 2000. So okay it was seven years ago that I started it. Sue me, this was my second biggest fic I wrote. Destiny's Toll was the worse piece of crap I ever wrote. I might have to find it and put it up as a fun thing **sniggers**

**And yes I'm avoiding Insatiable Memories at the moment...sad but true.  
**

Chapter 1: Aching Hello's

Sage walked out of the old building that he and the others called school. It was a very quaint place once inside and no one really talked but the teachers, but it was much more than that when you were the most loved boy in school by all the girls. He sighed as he took off his jacket and walked on to the left, throwing his jacket over his left shoulder. It was the typical day as usual when all his fans came to adore him, but he had to get out of the school building before his adoring fans came rushing like mad herds to be mesmerized by him and his broad self. He took it all in with a grateful smile, but he really hated it and wanted to be left alone to hang out with his friends more often then treating a different girl every day.

He was walking faster than usual, for the bell had rang loudly, signaling that school had ended. He gave a relieved sigh when he didn't hear running footsteps behind him and screeching mad girls hindering him out of his thoughts. On the exterior, he was a fine looking boy with golden hair that seemed perfect and violet eyes that glared something more wise for a person his age. But the girls in his school only saw the exterior him always, never finding him as a wise or gentleperson. Sure, he loved the attention, but three years of it really got tiring, especially when he was going to be a senior next year.

If only a girl with a right mind set upon her shoulders and perfect stature would appear in his life. Sage always thought that was impossible, but the next few seconds of his future were about to be interrupted with a loud bang.

&&&

A girl about the age of sixteen ran out of the building with a heavy sigh. _I gotta get home before my mom gets home from the hospital. I can't believe that she is even coming home after all this time of treatment. _The girl thought with a smile curving up. She ran faster as she looked at her watch. _Damn, she might get home before me after all! _The girl cursed to herself. As she glanced at her watch, she accidentally ran into a person walking fast around the corner that she was about to turn.

"Oof!" she heard the body hit the ground as she, herself, fell on her bottom. _Ouch_, she thought as she looked up to see a boy her age getting up and dusting of his school pants. Her eyes widened with a apologetic frown.

"Oh my goodness, I'm really sorry... I was looking at my watch instead of looking where I was going." She apologized with a quick glance to his face. Her eyes widened again when she recognized his face. He was the most popular boy in school that she'd never thought once would even acknowledge or even the first person she would run into in a while.

"That's okay," he said with no hard feelings as he looked up from dusting his pants off. "I wasn't looking where I was going either. I guess I had too much on my mind lately." He knew the girl from somewhere, but didn't really care at the moment. He had a fear that crept at the bottom of his throat that she would squeal and notice that he was the most popular boy in school.

"I know you from somewhere," he said with a frown, the fear going down a little when he knew she wasn't too of an airhead. "But I can't place my finger on it."

"Uh, well, I'm Kyoko Sakai from school, Sage." The girl said with small smile.

"Kyoko? Oh yeah, you're the one that is as smart as Rowen." Sage sighed as he remembered how Rowen complained all the time about Kyoko being as smart as him. "I knew you were familiar, but eh, well, I've dated so many girls that I forget which ones which."

"Is that so," Kyoko said with a bored look on her face. "Well, instead of talking about your wonderful self, I need to get home before my mom does. See you later." Kyoko let out a squeal when she glanced at her watch again. "Oh no, I'm late! Now she's really going to be mad at me for not being there before her!" Kyoko said a quick goodbye and high-tailed it over to her house.

"What a strange girl..." Sage commented as he just shrugged and went on his way towards his house.

&&&

Sage got home a few minutes later and opened the door to the house.

"Hello, anybody home?" he called out to his family, but was greeted only by silence. "Hmm, that's odd." He walked in and closed the door behind him before looking around the house. He finally came to the living room and saw his sisters, Yayoi and Satsuki watching a show on television. Yayoi looked up and grinned

"And how was your day, O' mighty flirt king." Yayoi laughed as she got up from her sitting position on the couch.

"Ha, ha, better than looking at you of course." Sage sneered as his sister growled at him.

"You're a big jerk, Sage, ya know that!" Yayoi smirked evilly, "by the way, your darling fans called and was worried sick about you. They thought that you were out with another girl without them."

"Maybe I was." Sage said with no emotion and walked out of the living room with that said. He walked up to his room up the stairs and closed the door behind him. Sage sighed as he sat down on his bed and flopped on his back with a heavier sigh than usual. He heard the door open a second later and thought it was Yayoi. "Go away, Yayoi, or I'll say something I'll never regret..."

"Say something and I'll drop kick ya all the way to Kyoto if you'd like." He heard a small voice.

"Say, what?" he lifted his upper torso up and looked at the girl that stood before him. "Satsuki, hey..." he said emptily.

"Boy, you've been sounding sorry for days now. What's eating you up?"

"Nothing, Satsuki, now go away."

"Yeah, but I want to know what's bothering you. You're my big brother and I don't like to see family members down in the dumps." Satsuki progressed as she moved closer.

"Nothing that concerns you." Sage said, thinking that this would make her go away. But the serious look she gave him told him she was much wiser than that. Curse the genes of this family! He thought before putting on a smile. "O all right, I'll tell you, but you better not go and spread it all over town."

Satsuki smiled as she ran up to her big brother and plopped down on his bed as he told her what was wrong


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Give Me a Day or Two

Kyoko made it home in a matter of five minutes when she saw the ambulance taking her mother down. Sheesh, one more minute later, I'd be toast. She ran towards the moving stretcher and saw how well her mother had looked, compared to a few months ago.

"Oh, my daughter came early after all," her mother joked with a fragile smile.

"Yes mama, I did. Are you feeling any better?" Kyoko asked with a concerned expression when her mother started having violent fits of coughs.

"Yes, I am... I just got a little chill."

"We better get her in before the storm starts up." The ambulance server announced as he pointed with his thumb to the stirring clouds up above to the right of them.

"Yeah, we better." Kyoko stated as she helped the man bring her mother in the nice house. The house was traditionally Japanese, but had more of an American atmosphere. Together, the two worked hard to push the woman on the stretcher in the front door and succeeded with the first three failed attempts.

"Thanks Kyoko..." the man said as he bowed, "I'll see you later, Ms. Mizami. I need to get back to the hospital before they start to call me to get another patient." The man smiled as he walked away from the house. "Call me if you need anything at all."

"I will...thanks again Mr. Ti'saki. Drive safely." Kyoko closed the door behind her and walked into her mother's bedroom, where she was laid upon her bed by her daughter and Mr. Ti'saki a few minutes ago.

"So, how was it at the hospital today?" asked Kyoko as she sat on her mother's bed.

"Good, a little stuffy, but good. How was your day at school?"

"As usual everybody picks at me for being different. No biggy, just another day, and another dollar to get out of that hell-hole." Kyoko started with a sigh.

"Yeah, next year, you'll be a senior, and next year you'll get to leave home for America and get into the college you want."

"You're coming along, too," Kyoko smiled with a sad glint in her eyes.

"If I even last that long. This cancer is really going to kill me." Ms. Sakai said with a frown. "That's okay, though what the doctors say, I'll live to see you graduate."

"That doesn't help, mama, I want you to grow older with me and see you're grandchildren." Kyoko voiced with tears in her eyes.

"My dear, sweet, and kind daughter, you know that God is disserving of me, and will take me away, since I'm in all this pain."

"But why would God take away the only family I have," Kyoko choked back a sob, "What kind of God takes away everything good and always leaves the bad to even inflict more wounds on the heart!"

"Kyoko, you lost your faith so much, but now is not that time to lose it. You'll be consumed in more pain if you don't realize that this is fate."

"Yeah, but fate is so cruel." Kyoko had tears running down her face as she sobbed this out. She hugged her mother with tightness. "I don't want to lose you like dad."

"You never lost dad, and you won't ever lose me, because I'll be in your heart always." Mizami told her daughter with an affectionate smile.

Kyoko started to cry on her mom as she hugged tighter. Her mother only did what mothers did best, comforted her daughter.

&&&

The sunlight penetrated through the cracks of the dark maroon linen curtains as it softly hit Sage right on the eyes. He squinted his eyes with annoyance as he turned over to the other side. All of a sudden, he heard the door croon open. He groaned as he turned over again to look at his older sister's smirking face.

"Get out, Yayoi!" Sage said with partial rage for just seeing her.

"I'll get out, only if you get up. Mom said that breakfast would be ready in ten minutes. SO, within that time, you best be ready." Yayoi almost closed the door when... "Oh yeah, your doofy friends are here." Yayoi cracked a vicious smile. "And your fan club called again this morning, wondering why oh so mister wonderful himself has not walked any of them home yesterday or not today at school at five a.m." Yayoi closed the door when a pillow was flung into the air, hitting the door instead of its intended target.

"Man, what a pain in the ass." Sage snorted as he got up, fixed his bed up nice and neat, and went to take a shower...

&&&

"Is that so?" Rowen inquired as Mrs. Date put a plate of pancakes with syrup in front of him.

"Yeah, that's what Takani had called about. She said that he disappeared before she and her friends could be escorted to their houses and stop on the way to be treated for being his leading ladies." Satsuki announced again, rolling her eyes.

"Well, that's really new." Cye said, with interest flaring in his deep sea- green eyes.

"Yeah, I think Sage is getting over his head! Why would he not want to escort such beautiful ladies." Kento bellowed, laughing.

"Kento, you're such a dummy," Satsuki snickered, "You've got to see through his point of view to know what he's going through."

"Yeah, I agree with Satsuki..." Ryo smiled at Mrs. Date, who was giving him some breakfast. "Thank you, Mrs. Date."

"Oh please, for the third time, Ryo, don't call me Mrs. Date. It sounds as if I'm older than a grandma." Mrs. Date laughed, "Call me, Ms. Umeko, it sounds nicer."

"Puh-leeze, anyway you put it, you know you're still old, mom." Satsuki smirked. Umeko looked at her daughter and frowned...

"Well, I guess I should get a facial implant."

"Don't you mean a facial makeover." Yayoi joked as she walked down the stairs.

"Yayoi, shut up."

"Satsuki, don't make me go drop kick you!"

"I would like to see you try, you donkey looking stupid pea-brain for a sister."

"Girls, both of you calm down." Umeko sternly looked at her daughters. Yayoi and Satsuki had their last battle of the wit by sticking their tongues. "I swear, my teenagers get more childish every time they do that." All the ronins laughed as they ate in silence again. "Hey, Yayoi, did you wake your brother?"

"Yeah, but the womanizer is fixing his hair for that fan-club of his." Yayoi smiled at her mom, who glared back. Yayoi muttered something under her breath about something when Sage finally came down.

"Hey, everybody." Sage greeted as he plopped down in his chair in-between Ryo and Cye.

"Hi, buddy, what you've been up too?" Rowen questioned, "You didn't wait for us, so we thought you were with your girlfriends, but they called and complained that they didn't see you."

"I was just trying to get away from them for one day. I only wanted a simple solitary moment."

"Yeah, really..." Ryo said as he drank the last of his orange juice. "Those girls can go buck wild on you...can't they?"

"You wouldn't know how bad it can be." Sage groaned, putting his hand over his eyes, leaning his head backwards.

"Then why don't you quit being the flirt king, and just be normal like your friends." Satsuki stated.

"Ye..."

"You know he wouldn't get farther than a minute without trying to get his girlfriends to back off." Yayoi sarcastically grinned.

"Okay, Yayoi, you want a bet, fine...just give me a day or two...and I'll be single again."

"All righty then, but you should know, you won't even get past the first stage."

"Oh yes, I will, because I have good friends that will help me..."

The rest of the meal was finished with silence and all of the ronins and Satsuki walked on their way to school. Yayoi got into her car, and laughed in their faces about not giving them a ride and rudely left them in the dust.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Flowing Butterflies

"Sage, are you sure you're going to go through with this bet?" Rowen asked, with a serious look on his face as they walked down the street to get to school.

"Yes, I'm very sure. Now the hardest thing to do is getting my fans off of me for a while so Yayoi knows that she hasn't won the bet."

"How much did you both bet each other anyway?" Ryo asked with curiosity as they all turned the corner.

Sage scratched his head and shrugged. All of his friends took a look back and gaped at Sage like he was mental.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't bet anything on this?" Kento questioned in awe, then busted out laughing. "You're stupider than I thought, Sage. How come you didn't bet any money or anything like that?"

"I guess the bet was the heat of the moment." Sage smiled, "But I'll settle this score right after school."

"You better," Satsuki groaned, "If mom does ever finds out that you two are betting, then she'll have a cow. You know what happened the last time that you both did that and how much you and Yayoi got into trouble."

"Don't worry sis." Sage reassured, "I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, right." Satsuki moaned as she turned another corner, "Well, this is my end of the bargain. I'll see you all after school." The ronins waved their good-byes as they went on their way to their own school.

"I still don't understand why you won't just keep on with your fan-club." Kento voiced his opinion rather loudly. "I mean, you are the most popular boy in school, you get everything you want, and all the girls just love you. And you're still unhappy." Kento made a frown when he saw the deep despair in Sage's eyes.

"Kento, you have no idea what it's like to be the most popular boy. Sure, you'd love it the first two years, but then you realize that your whole world is based on a lie. You're not really popular, only a hangman for people to use and abuse off of. Better yet, how about you take my shoes for one day and see how miserable you are when you're expected to treat a girl everyday of the week and never have time for any of your fun." Sage uttered, surprising his friends to the extreme.

"I'm sorry man, but I still say you're nuts to even let go of all those pretty girls for nothing in the world." Kento sadly said as he put a hand on Sage's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, stop trying to be sorry for me, I don't need your lack of sympathy." Sage pushed Kento's hand off of his shoulder and continued on into the building, where all of a sudden, a herd of girls came flocking towards Sage unexpectedly. Sage was taken aback when a girl about the age of sixteen with shoulder length dark black hair and brown eyes jumped upon him, giving him a huge hug.

"Oh, Sagey-chan, you're here! I thought you were hurt!" the girl cried, tears forming in her eyes.

Sage looked at her with a soft frown and pushed her off of him. "Now is not the time, Takani, I don't need you hovering over me like that."

"But, you've always loved me to do that." Takani pouted. "You must not have slept well, knowing I wasn't there to make you feel better."

"No, that's not it." Sage said, walking away from his fan club. But in that second, Takani again tried to wrap her arms around his waist. "Takani, stop being such a brat!"

"Sagey-poo, it's someone else, isn't it?" Takani whimpered, taking a step back after she unwrapped her arms around Sage.

Sage looked perplexed when he looked around and saw Kyoko walking to her locker.

"Yes, there is." Sage moved Takani aside as he started walking up to Kyoko, who by now had opened her locker. Takani glared deeply at Kyoko as Sage walked up to her without making a sound.

"Come on girls, it looks like we got some planning to do!" Takani snapped her fingers and all the girls followed, doing the same as their friend. The ronins watched as they did this and all rolled their eyes in the process.

Rowen smiled a bit as he saw whom Sage was walking towards. Ryo and the others were looking awestruck and seriously awed by the way Sage handled his situation.

"Hey guys!" greeted an auburn haired girl with blue eyes as she walked up to the astonished looking group. "What's the matter?" She flashed her hand in front of Ryo's face before getting a started reaction.

"Huh?" Ryo blinked, getting out of his trance. He looked at the hand and followed the long slender arm. "Oh, hey Mia."

"What's the matter with you all? I've never seen you so worked up and where's Sage, I thought he was with his fan club. I saw Takani and her group just pass with out him? What's up?" Mia asked with concern.

"Walk with us and we will tell you all about it," Kento smirked as he put his arm around Mia and started walking with her. She smiled nervously as he jabbered on about what was going on and looked back at Sage who was walking up to a new girl. She sadly turned her head, walking with Kento and even nodding at some questions that he asked.

&&&

Kyoko was putting some books in her book sack when she saw a shadow hover over her. She rolled her eyes in exasperation when she looked up to see pale blue violet eyes blocking her view the rest of the hall.

"Wahh!" Kyoko screamed, dropping her heavy literature book onto Sage's foot. He started hopping around in pain as it electrified through his right foot. "I am so sorry! I apologize for my clumsiness." Kyoko apologized as she picked up her literature book from off the ground. "Oh, its you." Kyoko said when she noticed who he was and slashed him a fake smile. Boy these two days are really not my day, especially with poofy hair over here.

"That's okay, I'm used to pain. Believe me." Sage put on one of his flashy smiles while waiting for Kyoko to say something. She just looked at him with a little fear and unreadable feelings that were running through her head. Kyoko went back to getting her books put up after the mood was set back to normal.

"Why are you here? I thought you were with your fan-club?" Kyoko asked when she closed her locker with a soft bang. Sage grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I kinda blew them off."

"Really, now why did you do that?" Kyoko questioned with surprise as she walked down the hall, Sage following.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Sage frowned when Kyoko nodded.

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Sage didn't know what to say to what she just said and just stopped in his tracks.

"And I thought the Flirt King had more ambition than that. I highly doubt that you were even this close in talking to me the other day." She stopped walking as she turned around, looking at him with seriousness in her eyes. "And that's why you shouldn't talk to me again."

She turned around again to walk off. That's weird... I have enough courage to tell the most popular guy to stop talking to me for just the two times he had, but I never could tell his fan-club every time they would boast about my looks.

Sage looked a little hurt and surprised that she'd blow him off like that, but that wasn't the first time he had been blown off anyway. He dealt with many hardships in his life and this one was just another scuff-mark on the floor. But what really surprised him was that he even had the courage to use this girl to pawn away Takani and her group.

"Hey, Sage!" Mia shouted, getting Sage out of his thoughts of Kyoko and other girls.

"Huh, Mia?" Sage turned around to see Mia walking to him with a look of sadness on her face. "Hey, good morning." Sage flashed her one of his smiles as she finally stopped in front of him.

"Good morning yourself, I've been looking all over for you." Mia said, which was not a total lie.

"Oh, really? Why's that?" Sage asked, while walking along with her.

"Well, because..." Mia looked around and was about to say what she wanted to tell him when Kento came running between them, with Cye high tailing it behind in a ferocious manner.

"I'm going to kill you, Kento! You hear me! You're dead!" Cye yelled as he chased his best friend. Mia and Sage looked at their friends when they looked at each other and busted out laughing.

"I wonder what that was about?" Sage wondered as the bell rang for first hour to begin. "You'll have to tell me later of what you wanted to say. I need to go to first period. I'll see you for lunch, okay." Sage ran towards his first class as everyone else either followed in his footsteps or the other direction. Mia was left standing there with an O shaped on her mouth. She was so close to telling him how she felt when the big twin idiots had to ruin everything.

"Man, I almost told him...in front of the whole school!" Mia flaunted as the tardy bell rang. "OH NO! I'm late!" Mia high-tailed it out of the hall way which was empty and ran into her first period class.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Answers to Life

The first four periods went slow as usual. After a while, the day seemed to go at least faster after lunch. Kyoko sat there, thinking over a problem in seventh hour, when the teacher had to go to the bathroom.

"I'll be back in a minute. I best not hear any talking when I walk back or you will be in trouble and sent to the office. Is that clear?" Yukio- sensei questioned with a dirty look from his gray eyes.

Every time he stared like that, his gray balding hair seemed to give a glare of something sinister. Kyoko wanted to burst out laughing every time he would do that, because of the things he reminded her of. Even though she was his best student, besides Rowen Hashiba, he was still a little unjust to her. It was like he had prejudice hatred towards teenagers. Hmm, she would never know and she really didn't care to find out either.

Kyoko was on her second to last problem when a shadow covered the light for her to work. She looked up to see Takani and two members of her group, Hitomi Toakeo, and Akemi Rijitin standing over her.

"Yes?" asked Kyoko when she saw the perturbed look on their faces.

"You know exactly what you've done, missy." Hitomi sneered towards Kyoko.

"What I've done?" Kyoko repeated confused. What could she have done to them? All she did was do her work everyday since school started.

"You mean to tell me that you don't have an exact clue to what you have done? Boy, this smarty-pants is not that smart after all." Akemi laughed along with her two friends. The class watched as Akemi and Hitomi crowded her more.

Kyoko didn't know what to say when they came in closer.

"You know, you are nothing to him...He'll never be yours." Takani Misaki jeered in her face.

"W-who? Who won't ever be mine?" Kyoko pondered, anger etched in her eyes, but her voice dampened her anger into fear that elapsed more in her eyes now.

"Duh, you dimwit, don't start being smart with us, you two timing whore!" Takani shouted with anger flaring in her brown eyes.

Whore? The words rang out like a knife. But why would I be a whore when I never had any guys at all? She shook a little, suppressing her anger, what she should have not done.

Kyoko put her head down, "Why am I called a whore? Huh?" Kyoko stuttered with anger now hiding her fear.

Takani snickered when she saw Kyoko put her head down in defeat and saw her start to shake a bit.

"Oh, look girls, she's been had. The truth comes out when all fine and dandy." The other two girls started laughing too.

"If you must know, like you do already, you've been seen talking to my Sagey-poo when he was suppose to come and treat me and my gal-pals and walk us home like his normal routine has been for the past three years."

Kyoko looked up with anger flared in her eyes, causing the three audacious girls to take a step back in astonishment.

"I never did anything with your man but talk with him. And all I did was apologize for running into him yesterday." Kyoko stated through clenched teeth.

"But what about this morning, he didn't want me to hug him like I do everyday. And you know what, you're the reason why he didn't because I saw him walk up to you in a heartbeat." Takani fumed with more anger than ever.

"You know, you have a lot of nerve to even come up to me and tell me what I am when you don't even know me. And you're calling the wrong one a whore, because the last time I checked, you were the whore around here, Masaki." Kyoko got up from her seat and glared daggers towards Akemi, Hitomi, and Takani.

Takani glared back with all the frustration building up. This was not at all going the way she planned. All of the students in the class were gawking at the brave girl that was standing up for herself. Students that didn't want to get hurt kept their mouths shut when the popular people would tell them something they think they are.

"I don't understand," Kyoko went on, "how you could even think that I would go for someone who you have. I am not like you and take everyone's boyfriend who is popular just to reign over them for as long as you did." Kyoko sighed as she tried to hide her tears of disappointment that were wailing up. "And I don't understand how you three can come up to me and tell me something that is not true." Kyoko glared again at them, casting her eyes down again after a short while.

"Look, you bitch!" Akemi shouted, "We didn't just come here to tell you to back off, we came here to protect Sage from scum like you. We don't want the best of our men frilling off of girls that are disgustingly and lowly like you!"

Kyoko gasped, a tear rolling down her fair skin. Bitch? What the? How could they call her that? How could these girls, who have never even made eye contact with her even know who she was? Kyoko looked up when she felt Takani move in front of Akemi, a slapping sound echoing in the silent classroom. Kyoko looked stunned as her hand went directly to the place where Takani's hand slapped her.

"H-how dare you..." Takani whispered dangerously, "How dare you even call me a whore back when you know what you are when we tell you to be!" Takani glared at her sneering, "If I ever see you with my Sagey-poo again, you will wish you were never born!" Takani smiled fiercely, sending a cold vibration seer through Kyoko's back. It felt like a cold wind blew in the classroom as the bell rang, signaling for the day to end for it was the last class. That was when the teacher came back smiling.

"Now that you're done Takani, you all may go home..."

Sage sighed as he met up with his friends, trying to figure out a way to avoid clashing with Takani and her group. He was depressed because he just flunked an algebra test that was a major part of his grade for this semester.

He ran his hand through his hair with a longing sigh. No sign of the girls, to his relief, and his friends were waiting for him on time too. All except Kento, he noticed when he walked over.

"Hey guys, where's Kento?" Sage asked with a little bit of worry. "And where is Mia."

"Oh, he went home with Maia Grey and Mia is at Shinsha University, applying for next year. You know that she is graduating this year." Ryo informed as he switched his backpack to his other shoulder. Sage nodded at the second part but wondered at the first.

"Who's Maia?"

"Uh, I have no idea." Ryo muttered, walking ahead of the group. Sage looked at Cye curiously.

"Do you know her?" asked Sage, getting everybody's attention towards Cye.

Cye's cheeks went pink as he shrugged, "I guess you can say she's an old friend of me and Kento's. When we were growing up in Yokohama together, she moved in the neighborhood and we became fast friends. She is a year older than we are, but she is very smart. When the dynasty attacked three years ago, we had to leave and as we left, her family moved to Toyama too. Last I heard, she lives in the rich quarters of town and goes to a private high school. She tutors for money for experience at a job."

Cye's friends nodded their head in appraise as they all walked around the corner of the building, the school leaving their sight within a few minutes. Sage was the first one around the corner when he wasn't paying attention and he felt someone run into him hard, falling back.

&&&

Kyoko ran out of the school building, tears blinding her vision. She had to get out of that horrid place, she had to get away from those horrid people. She didn't dare look back or even up in that matter when she hit someone hard, causing them to fall back. She too fell back from the excursion, all of her books flying out of her hardly zipped booksack. She yelped when her backside hit the ground hard.

"Grr, watch where you're going!" she heard a voice shout, causing her to look up with her tear stricken face. Kyoko gasped when she saw whom she bumped into...again.

"Sage?"

&&&

"Sage?" he heard a shaky voice ask, as the guys went to his aide and helped him up. He looked up from his daze and saw the books scattered around a familiar girl. It began to sink in as he looked at her face, which belonged to Kyoko.

"Kyoko?"

"I'm sorry again, but it seems this is the second time we bump into each other."

"Yeah, it is." Sage helped Kyoko up and started picking up books for her. The guys all did the same thing.

"It's okay, you don't have to help." Kyoko said, trying to make sure they didn't see the tears falling down as she picked up the books and took some from them. Little did she know, they saw the anonymous pain in her face and tears streak down her face.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Rowen inquired, pointing to her face, where the big red mark was partially covered with her hair.

Kyoko shrugged as she took the last book from Sage, then turning away as fast as she could. She didn't want any of them to take pity on her for crying. "Thank you for getting my books, Date-san. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" Sage shouted, grabbing her hand, making her look at him. He didn't know why he just did that and let go of her arm. "Uh, Kyoko, I was wondering if you would help me with something after school sometime. I need help with algebra II."

Kyoko looked a little uneasy as she noticed his friends looking at them with curious eyes. She wiped away the remaining tears away, glad that they didn't press the matter any longer.

"Uh, I don't know. I'm rather busy after school is over with. Don't you have Rowen to help you with it?"

Sage bit his lip. He did have Rowen, but something inspired him to go after her, something that tingled inside when he first saw her face. "Yeah, I know," he pressed on, "But he too is busy. I was just wondering if you could, this weekend by chance help me."

Kyoko groaned...this was not easy just to get him off her back. "I'm sorry." She said as she turned around, making sure that she didn't cry again. She felt like she wasn't and smiled to herself. Why? She just couldn't find the answer to that question. She walked another corner, leaving the four boys to wonder in her tracks.

"What a rude girl," Ryo commented as he watched her leave around the corner.

"Eh, she might have her reasons for being that way." Cye said as they started walking again.

"Why do you say that?" Rowan questioned intrigued by what Cye had just said.

"Um, nothing." Cye murmured, "But I do feel for her at times. She's that person who studies instead of trying and worrying about how to make friends. Besides, she's always being hassled by your fan club, Sage."

Sage smoothed his hair as he stared down with an array of thoughts flying through his mind. His thoughts were mangled out of his head as he stepped on something thick. He looked down and frowned. What was a literature book doing here?

He opened the book to see the name and saw that it belonged to Kyoko. It must have fallen out when they both bumped into each other and someone must have kicked it over. He smiled as a thought came into mind.

"Sage, buddy? Why are you back here?" Rowen inquired as he walked back a few paces to see what was holding up his friend.

Sage looked up, the same smile plastered on his face. Rowen looked questionably at him and pointed at the book.

As of an answer to his question, Sage got up and walked off in another direction, clamping the book under his right shoulder.

"Sage! Where ya goin!?"

"I gotta give this back to someone. I'll be at my house around five."

"What about practice?" Rowen shouted again, "You're grandfather is going to get furious."

"I know, but I'll tell him I had to go study at a friend's house." Sage smirked and turned around, leaving a stunned Rowen in the middle of the street.

&&&

"So, you're telling me that the square root of seven is four!" Kento bellowed with aggravation once more at his tutor he met with after school.

"No, dimwit!" the tutor fumed, "Seven has no square root. It's a prime number."

"Aw man, you're confusing me."

The tutor closed the book and stared angrily at Kento as he stuffed his face with food.

"You know what, Kento, you're only confusing yourself because half the time you don't listen and mellow out. I don't understand how those teachers can take you, much less even look at you." The girl flipped her smooth black hair out of her face as she cautiously got up. "Now if you don't mind, I've got some work to do at home. I must get going in order to make sure Midori, Kenji, and Kasai get their homework done as well."

"Who are those people you just mentioned?" Kento asked incredulously.

"Ken-san, their my little sister and brothers. What did you think they were, my kids" The girl said with a laugh, her bright brown eyes glittering in the sun that poured through the windowpane of the living room where they were situated.

"Oh, not really, heh" Kento moved closer to his tutor, "Grey-san, have you and your boyfriend broken up yet."

Grey-san looked down, "No," She looked back up to see the worry in Kento's eyes.

"Why? Maia, the guy treats you like shit!" Kento fumed.

"Don't talk like that about him. He's currently upset over financial trouble that's all. He's just being a jerk right now, but he'll get better."

"What better?" Kento asked, walking up to Maia, who turned around with tears in her eyes. "Hasn't he cheated on you before and slept with other girls...not to mention almost making you feel like you're not worth anything. And he got one pregnant, not to mention lied to you about it."

"Kento! Shut up already!" Maia turned around, glaring at him with hatred but yet sadness. Kento stepped back. After all the years he knew her and wanted nothing more than to be her boyfriend, she always went back to that backstabbing idiot of a boyfriend. Maia Grey was one of the most pristine girl he knew, unlike the airheads he knew at school. He was happy he had met her again after three years and was stunned that she was living with her four-year boyfriend.

It was strange to him to see such an unworthy scum like her boyfriend get someone like Maia. But he knew that she loved him, how he didn't know. It hurt him terribly when he saw that she would get beat by him and she still never left him even after all the incidents of having affairs with women and getting one pregnant too. Maia never saw that and was always a very forgiving person. She was very beautiful with her strapping personality and astounding brown eyes.

"Kento?" Maia asked, getting him out of deep thought.

"Hmm," Kento blinked a few times, getting back to the present.

"We're finished with this session. Tomorrow, I'll be back at the same time, don't be late like today."

Kento scowled, "It wasn't my fault I got detention."

"Well, now whose was it?" Maia smirked, "Don't tell me quiet old Cye could have made you get detention."

"Eh, no..." Kento looked defeated. "But oh well, I'll try not to get detention for her majesty."

Maia rolled her eyes as she went towards the door after packing up all her books. She turned around and kissed Kento on the cheek, stunning him and her. "Uh," she faltered to say anymore as she quickly turned around and walked out the door, leaving a stunned Kento watching her form leave. He had a smile on his face as he closed the door...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Confrontations of the Heart

After Sage had left, Rowen caught up with Cye and Ryo who were both waiting for him a few feet away. They both saw Sage turn a corner and had questioning looks upon their confused faces.

"Hey, Ro, where'd Sage go?" Cye asked as Rowen caught up with them, getting into step with them. Rowen looked down and smirked.

"He's going to get help from Kyoko for algebra II and to return a book to her that must have fell out of her book bag." Rowen informed his confused friends.

"Well, I thought he was through with girls?" Ryo commented, as they turned another corner, this time going straight ahead towards a street that went two ways across from each other.

"Yeah, but this one seems different and besides I know for a fact that he won't fall for this girl..."

"How do you mean, Ro? Don't tell me, she's not his type?" Cye snickered.

"Well, to me she would make the best girlfriend he had ever made, possibly the only one that's not an airhead. But, haven't you noticed how Mia feels about him?"

"Uh, no. No idea." Ryo said, scratching the back of his head.

"She's madly in love with him." Cye answered. "I can't believe you wouldn't see that Ryo."

"Well, the way she does look at him kinda gave the hint that she does like him."

After Ryo voiced those words, they all were silent for a while before saying goodbye to go to their respected homes. One thing that bothered Rowen though, what if Sage did fall in love with this girl...then what would happen to Mia. His heart ached for Mia, but he knew that it would be hopeless to give a confrontation towards her when her heart was given to one person, Sage...

As soon as Kyoko turned the corner, she broke into a run, more tears coursing down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the tears that were cascading down since she ran from the school building. Sadly enough that Takani had bruised her pride, but the teacher being behind it all just made her want to shrivel up in a ball and die. She turned another corner and ran smack dab into a big muscular figure. She fell on her butt twice that day as tears ran down her face.

"HEY! Watch where you're going!" the voice shouted as something hovered over her petite frame. Kyoko looked up to see a gang of thugs that were surrounding her. She gave out a squeak as one of them came closer. She dusted herself off as she quickly got up.

"I'm v-very sorry." Kyoko apologized as she lowered her head in amends, hoping that these boys would let them go.

"Sorry...sorry? You, a stupid wench, says you're sorry to the greatest thug in the city for not watching where you're going." The black haired boy said as he came closer towards her. Kyoko took a step back and was about to break into a run when the same guy caught her arm in a death grip. "Where you're going? You need to make up your mistake to me for running into me."

"Let me go!" Kyoko cried, trying to get her arm out of the vice grip he held her in. His partners were all laughing as they tried to grab at her, pulling her into an unknown and unoccupied alleyway when someone shouted for them to let her go. They all looked up surprised there was someone who would dare interrupt their business.

Kyoko tried prying the clamped hand that was around her wrist but with no avail, the grip was stronger than she wished for. Kyoko then looked right, where the person was casually leaning against the wall of an old house, his arms crossed over his broad chest. She noticed that the person had soft blonde hair that was poofy and well fixed, wearing the same school uniform logo as hers. He took off his sunglasses and stared coldly at the thugs that threatened Kyoko. Kyoko looked bewildered to see Sage Date there, coming for her rescue.

"Who are you!" one of the thugs questioned with hostility.

"I told you, let her go. Who I am has no meaning to you." Sage told the thug, his eyes gleaming a heavy aura.

"What if I don't let her go!" the thug holding her wrist, replied, pulling Kyoko closer. Kyoko yelped as he held her in his arms. She tried to get away again, but he gripped her wrist harder, making a sick cracking noise. Kyoko winced in pain, knowing that her wrist was fractured.

"If you don't let her go, you'll have to answer to me." Sage gritted his teeth as he threatened the thugs.

"With only a puny fellow like you!" the thugs all laughed. "Come on, I'd like to see you try to get through us to her."

"Okay, you've asked for it." Sage threw his sunglasses on the ground as he got into a running speed. Without anybody seeing his great speed, he managed to knock two of the thugs, only leaving the one who had Kyoko and the other one that was standing, ready for any attack available. Sage landed on his feet and was about to attack the other thug when he was knocked over the head with a piece of cement. He stumbled a bit to get his bearings but his head ached and blood traced down his face where the cement hit and broke the skin. He silently steadied himself with the nearby wall to find where the attacker would be next to hit. He used his knowledge from the teachings of his grandfather and noticed that nothing came to mind.

Come on, Sage, think! You need to get yourself back in the game! Just then, as the attacker moved forward the strike again, Sage regained his barrier and rammed his fist into the concrete that was about to be fixed upon his head. The thug, surprised by this action, ran away, with his tail between his legs.

Sage transfixed his eyes upon the leader, who still had Kyoko in his grip. Sage spit out blood then wiped his mouth.

"Well, are you going to let her out, or not?"

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let this sexy kitten loose. She still owes me big time for running into me." Kyoko made a face as the thug licked her face, his putrid breath reaching her nose that made her want to puke.

Sage sighed with disgust. Can't anybody ever just give up when they know that they were about to get beat?

"Just let her go and be a man! Fight me!"

The thug seemed to think about it before smiling. "Alright, I'll get rid of this wench out of my way to fight your puny ass." The leader's smile lingered into a hate-filled disgusted frown as he threw Kyoko against the wall hard, making her fall unconscious to the world.

Sage gasped and tried to run to her aide when the thug took the advantage and kicked Sage in the side, cracking a rib in the process. Sage fell to the ground in pain, clutching his ribs. As he was down, the thug hovered over him with an evil grin...

"Now, we shall see who'll answer to who!" the thug laughed merciless as he brought his fist down...

Maia walked into her apartment after getting home from her session with Kento. She wondered what possessed her to kiss him on the cheek. Her cheeks became a tinge of pink when she remembered how smooth his skin felt.

"Hello, darling, home so soon?" Her boyfriend greeted her with an evil glare, which made her skin run cold.

"Yes, Kyo, I am." Maia put her keys on the table and her backpack on the floor.

"Well, you aren't suppose to be back until five and it is already five thirty."

"Well, I did have a ways to travel. Kyo, please, I'm tired and I don't want to fight tonight. Especially when Kasai, Kenji, and Midori need to have food."

"Those little brats always get more attention than me." Kyo moved towards her and grasped her shoulders rather harshly.

"Kyo, stop this! You're drunk! Come on, let go of me!"

A slap echoed in the house, "You little fuckin bitch! You ain't gonna make anything tonight. I want sex and sex I'll get. Now take off your fuckin clothes." He stumbled on her, pushing her against the wall, his warm liquor- breath slapping her in the face even more. He kissed her hungrily and moved to play with her fondly.

She wasn't comfortable at all and tried to pry him off of her, but his hands cocked her upward and he punched her in the face. She was woozy from the hit and narrowly fell into his arms. Three little kids watched in horror as their older sister was being raped in front of their eyes...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: To Go From Here

The way the sound of the heartbeat hit Sage's ears became slow with anticipation. The slow motion of the thug's fist that was arriving started to get faster and faster. His head spinning, Sage's thoughts churning on what to do seemed only moments before his final strike became final. All of a sudden, he got his bearings and then it went as fast as the fist came. Sage rolled away just in time as the fist of the thug hit the wall of where Sage had been leaning against.

The thug screamed in pain as his skin split in half. Bones could be heard breaking in his wrist. Sage gathered his strength and stood tall.

"Is that all you got?" Sage asked the thug as he grasped his wrist. The thug looked at him menacingly.

"This isn't over by a long shot, my undesired friend." With that said, the thug mustered his strength and ran away, vowing that silently one day he would have his revenge. Sage wiped the blood from his nose and mouth, then turning towards where Kyoko was slumped, unconscious to the world. He walked hurriedly towards her and knelt down, trying to wake her up by calling her name.

"Kyoko? Kyoko, come on, wake up." He tapped her upon her face slightly. "Come on, Kyoko. You need to wake up." From the sound of his voice, she opened her eyes slightly and gritted her teeth in pain as she clutched her right wrist. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him with tears brimming down, with all the pain and agony that bestowed upon her young face. "Shh, it'll be alright." Sage grappled her in his arms, laying her head upon his chest as she wept silently. Her body racked with sobs of unknown truth that she always kept hidden. All Sage could do was pat her on the back and hold her, which suddenly felt right. He didn't know why, but he had a faint burning desire to always do this with her when she was down, not like what he felt with his past girlfriends.

"I'm fine now, thank you." She stuttered out as she pulled away, still clutching her wrist.

"Let me look at it." Sage insisted as he tried grabbing her arm. She winced away as she tried to stand up, with the support of the wall. But to no effort, she failed and sloped down back to her knees. She felt so sore and so out of it, it seemed only like a dream. Her head ached and she just wanted to go home to put ice on the back of her head. She let go of her wrist as Sage insisted he look at her wrist. She put the back of her left hand under her hair, where she felt some warm liquid starting to brim down her head. She finally realized of what damage happened in her head and felt so dizzy when Sage lifted her up and tried steadying her to balance.

Sage gasped as he saw blood on her uniform in the back.

"We need to get you to my house immediately." He reproached as he took her left hand in his.

Kyoko again pulled away from his grasp, only to almost lose her balance, thankfully Sage was there to hold her up.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me help you. I live just around the corner of this street. My mom is a doctor and she can help you."

"No, no doctors." Kyoko moaned, her head spinning like crazy now. "I just want to go home to my momma. I can take care of myself." Kyoko tried to pry out of his grip but she was too weak and he was too strong to even get an inch away. She gave in and silently let him lead her towards his house.

Maia cried and cried after her boyfriend left to go out that night. It was only seven and she was still in her school uniform. Sobs racked her body as she lay there helplessly. Midori, her young nine-year-old sister, just sat there on the bed, caressing her sister's back as she sobbed. Midori was only a young girl, but she knew what her sister's boyfriend did to Maia.

Tears streamed down her face as she wished her mom were here and not ill in bed at another residence with her other older sister. Midori felt her sister's sobs slow and then her breathing regular, with a few sobs here and there. Midori stopped caressing her sister's back and cautiously got out of the bed, trying not to wake her sister. She went up to her sister's venal side and removed a couple of strands from Maia's face.

"I wish Kyoko and momma were here. They'd know what to do." Midori looked to the luminous sky that was bright with colors of the red moon and glowering stars. She saw a star fly across the sky as she made a wish that everything would turn out better.

By now, it was 6:04 p.m. by the time Sage arrived with Kyoko at his side to his dojo style house. Kyoko didn't pay attention to her whereabouts, only worried of what her mother was doing at this very moment. She could have been in terrible pain and wanting her daughter by her side. But she knew it was futile to fight with Sage. He was strong even though he looked a bit scrawny.

Well, by the way it felt to be close to him, he had lean stomach muscles and other well toned muscles. For some odd reason, it felt good to be in the arms of a guy. For starters, she never really did have a boyfriend or even a boy to call a friend. They all went for those other girls who either were cheerleaders, airheads, or girls that were in sports. They never would go for the solemn girl or even acknowledged her. They always were trying to get with her by cheating or harassing in an embarrassing way.

On the other hand, she never really thought twice to lean upon a guy for support. She had that air about her that seemed to be stubborn, a little bit of that spice that told everyone that she couldn't be played the fool. In very short terms, she was nobody's fool, but something otherwise told her that she was being somebody's fool and that was the most popular boy in school. It felt as though it was his objective to even get the lowest girl to go out with him.

Just thinking about that made her agitated. But then there would be another thought that would cross her mind. What if he wasn't playing a game and really was this man behind the mask nice guy. He sure didn't act like it when the curtains arose for his star position in the spotlight. Kyoko sighed with agitation as Sage and her approached the stairs to his house.

"Well, we're here." Sage smiled as he turned the knob of the oak door. Kyoko was a little out of it still as he brought her inside. He called for his mom, dad, or any of his siblings, but no one seemed to hear him. He let her down in the living room on the love seat as he went get some ice and the first aide kit.

This gave Kyoko time to see what his living room looked and felt like. She looked around a while before discerning the mocha colored walls with light peach paint that held beautifully together. While the walls were light mocha, the floral bedding upon the couch seemed to match the blue carpet on the floor.

Pictures of his family were all over the mocha wall and seemed to blend in with the huge living room. In front of the long couch that was in the center, there was an entertainment center with all kinds of angels and porcelain dolls, set in the middle was the TV and VCR. She admired the way everything just glided together, making her feel right at home.

Sage entered the kitchen and got the ice and medical aide. He was getting a drink of water when he heard his mother just getting in from the office. As young as he could remember, his mom always came home around 6:30 or less and his dad always at 7:00. Mrs. Date came in and smiled at her son.

"Hello Sage." She greeted him, but then her exterior smile became darkened into a frown. "What happened here?" She implied as she pointed towards the cuts and bruises upon his face. "Did your grandfather give you a rough time with training again?" Umeko sounded disappointed again. She sighed roughly. "That man, I'll have to talk to him again."

"That won't be necessary, mom." Sage told her about the fight and about Kyoko in the next room. After he was done, her face was all white.

"Did you say, Sakai was her last name?"

"Yes, I did. Why?"

"Do you know what her mother's name is?" Umeko asked.

"No..."

"No?"

"I told you, no. I have no clue."

"Well, then I'll just have to ask her when you go fix her up." Umeko followed her son into the living room, finding Kyoko was dozing off a little. "Poor dear. She looks exhausted."

Kyoko looked at them through glassy eyes, her head spinning again. She felt so tired and was so worried about her mom.

"Kyoko, look, my mom is here to help. Just lie down."

Kyoko felt herself being laid down by the woman that she saw through a blurry vision. For a second there, she thought she heard her mother humming.

"Momma?" she whispered, "Please help my momma."

"Kyoko, are you okay?"

"Sage, go call the hospital, she's burning up with fever. Hurry now!" Umeko screamed as she pulled her hand away from the girl's forehead.

"Mommy!" Kyoko screamed, shaking violently. "Daddy!"

Kyoko's whole body seemed to take effect like an electric vibe was penetrating through her, sending her in a shock wave of fits. A few minutes before she only heard two drowning voices, now it seemed all kind of voices that seemed to massively attract her to her own world. After about two more minutes of trying to figure out what was going on, all she felt was blackness overcoming her, shadowing her away from pain for the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Moment In Time of Essence

Sage paced back and forth in the waiting room as his mother filled out the report and signed a form saying she would take control of the patient. Umeko looked at her son, assuring him before she went on her way to the doctor's locker room.

Sage smoothed his hair back with his hand as he thought of what might happen to Kyoko. No, he shouldn't think like that and in any case, why did he even care? He thought he was still betting that he could get rid of all girls for the senior year. Sage sighed as he sat down, waiting for a word on how Kyoko was doing.

As Sage was waiting, he noticed a familiar voice call out.

"HEY! I WANT TO SEE HER! SHE'S MY FRIEND!" he heard the boisterous voice holler. Sage walked towards the desk where the waiting room was facing. He stared wide-eyed at the guy that was fixing to cuss out the nurse who was trying hard to push him back and to calm him down before a scene broke out.

"Sir, calm down. Only immediate family or the boyfriend can see her."

"I'm one of her close friends, damn it," Kento stated a little calmer.

"I'm sorry sir, but the doctor gave me full proof instructions not to allow anybody in her room without his or her consent and up until her family arrives."

"Bullshit! Her mom can't! She doesn't even have a mom! Her father's dead and I'm the only damn friend that frickin cares for her!"

"Sir, you'll have to calm down or I'll be forced to call the police."

"Call the fuckin police, I don't give a damn, I have a right to see the damn patient." Kento grumbled.

"Kento?" a voice called from his left. Kento angrily glared at the woman before turning to see whom the voice belonged to. He was surprised to see Sage standing there.

"S-Sage?" Kento questioned with confused eyes. Sage nodded, "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same, since you've been very rude to the nurse that has been trying to calm you down since a few minutes ago."

"Well, I have a right to see her."

"Who's her?"

"Her name is Maia Grey. She was raped tonight. Supposedly the boyfriend thought that she was cheating and she got, well to him, what she deserved." Kento informed him of the news, following Sage into the empty waiting room and then leaning against the doorframe.

"Maia? Isn't she the one that tutors you? Cye said you, him and Maia were great friends growing up."

Kento looked at Sage and nodded. "Yeah, that and before we had to move away for the war with Talpa and the dynasty." Kento whispered, looking down. "I can't believe that she even got raped. If I ever catch him, I'll kill him with my bare hands."

"You really care for her, don't you."

"More than anything."

"More than food." Sage joked, but saw that Kento was not in the mood.

"I said anything. I would capture the moon for her."

"Well, I think that I can pull some strings and set you up with the room number she is in."

Kento's eyes beamed. "Really?"

"Sure," Sage walked out of the waiting room and told Kento to wait. He patiently waited and then finally Sage acknowledged him to follow. Kento followed Sage through the corridors of the huge hospital.

Sage then finally got to the door that the number the nurse told him Maia was in. Before Sage could open the door, Kento put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm such a chicken. What do I say to her?"

"Nothing, just show her."

"Right...what would she see in a guy like me." Kento put his head down.

"She'd see who you always were..." Sage said, "A kind hearted oaf that is really goofy and has a great personality."

Kento grinned, "Yeah, you are right, I'll just be the jackass in me."

"Well, not that part. You wouldn't want to overdo it."

"Oh yeah, right, gotcha." Kento sucked in a breath and walked in, leaving Sage at the door. Sage smiled as he saw his mother coming towards him.

"How is she?" Sage asked, when he knew his mother was coming up to him.

"Kyoko is doing fine. She's just almost had a nervous break down and is resting right now," Umeko said, with a hint of confusion. "Honey?"

"Yeah...what?" Sage asked as they both walked towards where Kyoko was.

"How do you think this happened?"

Sage shrugged. "I really don't know. I don't know her well enough."

"But I thought you did. I honestly thought I have seen her before. So, you didn't date her before."

"No,"

"Why not? She seems to have a great personality."

"Well...I really don't know."

"And here I thought that you were the flirt king of your high school." Umeko smiled.

"Well, I am but not for long. I'm giving up my ways." Sage gingerly said.

"Oh, and why not?"

"I really don't want to talk about it. How long is it going to be until I can see her?"

"My...for someone you've never taken interested with before sure has you on a chain."

"Hmm?" Sage looked at his mother in confusion.

"Oh you'll see what I do in the future."

Sage continued to have a very delirious look upon her back as his mom walked in front of him. They both finally entered the room where they saw Kyoko thrashing around her bed...

Kyoko seemed like she was floating on thin air. Her breathing was shallow and it felt like she was on the brink of death. She wished her mom and dad was here, but she knew that was impossible. She heard voices of torment and screams of painful meaning. She wanted to open her eyes but she didn't seem to want to. Kyoko heard a familiar voice, but yet it seemed distant to her over exhausted mind.

Whispers and figures moved about in her ebony mind that seemed to shatter with screams.

"You will not ever have him...he is mine...leave him alone..." the voice whispered.

"You will never be one with him... I will hunt you down..." the woman's voice again repeated.

Kyoko tried running, but a sudden figure stopped her in her tracks. The figure was dressed in old raggedy clothes with a cape and hood upon its head.

"Who are you?" gasped Kyoko, watching, as the figure seemed to shake with chuckling.

"Someone like you doesn't belong with him!" the voice mumbled, "You are a whore and you know it! You are in love with him! But you cannot have him! He is mine and mine alone!"

"Who? Who are you talking about!"

"Do not get attached to him, it will be your doom and downfall if you do..." another voice told her from the cloaked figure.

"Show yourself!" Kyoko demanded.

"As you wish... but you will not like what you see." The figure opened its hood and there stood something that shocked Kyoko, her reflection in a two- way mirror.

"Forget him! Forget him! Forget him!" Kyoko's other halves chanted. Kyoko covered her ears like she knew what they were talking about, but her mind was reeling over and over to whom they were talking about.

"Kyoko...Kyoko..." She heard another voice talk to her through a hazy state. Slowly, but surely, Kyoko managed to open her eyes. She saw three doctors and Sage hovering over her. The first thing she did was hug Sage, which surprised him in the long run.

"Don't leave me!" Kyoko cried, "It's so dark and scary!"

Sage didn't know what she was talking about. All he did was run one of his hands through her hair and said soothing words to her until she fell into a peaceful sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Way It Goes

Everything seemed to grow silent as Maia watched the stars in the night sky. They were very sparkly, everything she was not. The pit of her stomach seemed to ache even more as a nurse put some tubes in her. She winced but did not make a sound. Maia then heard the nurse leave and was relieved in some sort of way.

She wanted to be alone for all the reasons that God could probably explain over and over. Why did the man she thought loved her rape her? Why did she even let him come back several times after hurting her continuously? Why even after the time he stood her up and got a girl pregnant? All these thoughts were running through her mind when she heard the door open then close. She thought it was the nurse to run more tubes in her but she heard a male cough politely to get her attention. A fear crept up in her mind that her boyfriend was back. She looked scared towards the person who entered.

Maia looked hard on the person with surprised and big eyes. There, in the moonlight, Kento's silhouette figure adorned from the new moon.

"Kento?" she whispered hoarsely as she looked away. "Go away. I don't need your sympathy."

Kento looked at Maia with concern.

"Mai-"

"Just GO AWAY!" Maia practically screamed as she turned completely away. "I told you, just go away. I don't want to see anybody right now. Go home...please. Just leave me alone."

Kento walked up to Maia, her figure shaking in the bed. He could tell that she was sobbing and went over towards the other side of the bed where she was facing. She looked up and saw the concern and sincere in his eyes that she never saw before in a guy. Kento swallowed hard when she sprang forth and wrapped her hands around his neck, her face buried in the case of the neck.

"Oh Kento, you were right. You were right the whole time. That bastard doesn't care for me. No one does." She cried in tears.

"Shh, that's not true. That is not even true. Everybody loves you. It's only him that sees you worthless, but I, I mean, Cye and I find you to be the treasure of my eh our lives."

Maia sniffled and then picked her head up to look into dark blue eyes that seemed to sparkle like the midnight sky outside in the universe. They seemed to be plucked out from heaven and placed at her feet. The love in his eyes were intense and she felt a passion like she never did before. Seconds flew by before their lips met slightly then once again. Kento kissed her harder than he ever a girl in his life and loved every single minute.

Kyoko woke up a few hours later in a dark room. She felt as though her whole world was spinning. She tried to move but she felt arms tightly surround her. She froze in her position and noticed from a mind point that she was on somebody's chest that was rising and falling in a sleepy way. Kyoko felt her eyes wanting to close again and was surprisingly comfortable in the position she woke up too. She fell asleep right then and there.

The sun shined through the cracks of the hospital window when Sage finally woke up. He felt like he had been sleeping on a curved board when he felt someone wrapped in his arms.

'This feels nice.' Sage thought as he felt right holding this warm apparition. 'Huh? What the?' He looked down when his eyes opened fully in surprise. There, in his arms, was non-other than Kyoko sleeping away with a smile on her face. He sucked in a breath when he tried to trace back in his memories why he was in this position. He relaxed when he remembered that he had fallen asleep past midnight, not wanting to leave Kyoko's side.

Kyoko, at that moment, opened her eyes to find herself in the same position she found herself in last night. She noticed that what she was on, now was moving in a distressed way. She sat up, feeling the tightness slowly seep away. She was slightly disappointed that it resulted in no return and looked up. Brown eyes met violet blue eyes that showed sincere. She felt in a daze from the morning dew that seemed to etch up into her room. Sage felt as though he was in a daze too as he felt warmth from the two sparkling brown orbs that seemed to captivate his face towards hers.

Kyoko's mouth seemed to be dry as their lips seemed to inches away then smaller than that. They were about to kiss for some unveiled passion that stirred inside of them when they heard a forced.

Cye walked through the hospital to get to the room where the nurse told him that Maia was in. Kento, he knew, was already there. He passed several different rooms and patients with visitors. He got to the room that Maia was in and opened the door to see Kento and Maia kissing.

Sage and Kyoko both stared at Sage's grinning mom. Kyoko blushed as she got out of Sage's arms and winced at the pain in her wrist as she put weight upon it. She fell back in Sage's arms, Sage automatically catching her.

"I don't think you are strong enough to walk out of here, miss Sakai." Umeko told her patient. "You are to remain here until your strength returns."

"But." Kyoko was sat down by Sage, who robotically went to the other side of the room, blushing from head to toe, or so it seemed. "But, my mother is not doing well and I must take care of her. The only times I ever leave her is to go to school. Please. You must check me out of here."

Umeko looked sternly upon her patient, "I'm sorry, young lady, but you had a very high fever and you are still very weak from the percentage of blood you've lost from that nasty wound. I just want to make sure you are doing good enough to go home. Till then, you shall remain here."

"But."

"No buts, it's my job to keep you in here. By the way, your mom is being taken cared of by Mr. Ti'saki. You might remember him, Kyoko."

"Mr. Ti'saki?" Kyoko looked surprised, "How did you know?"

"I happen to be Mizami's doctor and friend. We grew up together, I'll have you know."

"Really? I never knew that. She never really did talk about her past." Kyoko put her head down.

"She'll be fine, Kyoko-san. Don't worry. Mr. Ti'saki is a very good man, besides, you need a vacation from worrying about everything." Umeko came up to Kyoko and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Kyoko nodded in acknowledgement and got into her bed with the help of Umeko. Umeko motioned for Sage to follow her for Kyoko to get some good rest and closed the door behind her.

After they were gone, Kyoko laid back in her bed and looked at her bandaged wrist. Whatever she did to deserve this one, she would take it too good heart. Her good hand moved towards her lips when she remembered the way it felt to have warm breath flinging emotions all around in her head. She wondered what possessed her to do that or even what possessed Sage to even hold her like that. One day, she would find out, but her eyes became heavy with sleep and she soon went into a deep slumber.

Sage walked out of the room with his mom following behind him. Umeko had a big smirk on her face as Sage turned around and glared at his mom.

"Boy, for someone who says he has no more girlfriends sure questions my thoughts." Umeko teased.

"Mom, stop it. I'm not going out with her. Like I said before, she's just a friend."

"By the way you were about to swallow her whole seemed to tell me right there that something is happening between you two."

"But we just met. Well, technically did. I just never did pay attention to her."

"Why?"

"Well, because she wasn't my type."

"Oh and those others were. That's why you are giving up on being the king if flirts, no? Come on Sage, I know you feel something for her."

"Mom, that's not it. She just didn't cut my status."

"Your status, oh ho, I know I didn't just hear that. I also know that I raised a better son than that." Umeko glanced at her son as they both walked to the elevator. "You know what Sage, you are going to lose something important right in front of your eyes if you keep having that attitude. I want you to just listen to me." Umeko put her hands up when Sage was about to protest. "I want you to at least try to get to know her. I knew her mom and if she is anything like Mizami, you will see what I mean. She needs you more than anyone else for an odd feeling I have."

"Mom,"

"I am just saying, she needs a friend and if nobody wants to do it then you should, since, you are not the flirt king anymore."

Sage didn't say anything to that. Maybe that was all she needed, a friend. Maybe that was what he was longing in a girl too. Maybe…just maybe.

"And, you also need help with algebra II." Umeko interrupted his thoughts.

"Mom, how the heck did you know that?" Sage looked bewildered.

"Well, because I am your mommy, sugar-lumpkins."

Umeko laughed at her son's face as the elevator took them down to the parking lot where she brought him home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A New Day Has Come

Mia was working extra hard in Shinsha to have extra credit for graduating this year. She felt overwhelmed and like she was going to faint when her professor told her that she had a phone call from a friend.

"Miss Koji, telephone." Professor Lai, who helped Mia out with her work, came through the door. Mia put down her files and walked out of the huge classroom into the dean's office. There, she picked up the phone to hear a frantic voice.

"Mia speaking,"

"Mia? Oh Mia, I'm so glad to get a hold of you."

"Who's this?" Mia asked curiously at the frantic familiar voice.

"This is Cye."

"Cye? Cye? What's wrong, Cye? Did something happen to any of the guys."

"No, nothing has happened. It's one of Kento and my friend who got raped tonight by her violent boyfriend. Do you think you can bring me to the Toyama Hospital?"

"Sure, I'll be on my way in a few minutes. Don't worry Cye. I'm sure your friend will be fine."

"Hurry Mia." Cye and Mia exchanged a few more words before hanging up. Mia apologized to the professor before running down the hall and towards the parking lot in front of the tall building. She was so sure that Cye sounded frantic and needed someone to comfort him. Mia got to the jeep and started it up before driving out of the parking lot and onto the road towards Cye's house.

Mia dropped Cye off in front of the hospital and drove to the parking lot. As she was getting out, she noticed a familiar figure exiting out of the hospital. She did a double take and knew who it was the second time she looked. It was Sage walking out with his mother and looking rather tired. Mia hurried up and locked her doors before going towards Sage.

"Sage? What are you doing here?"

Sage looked at Mia with emotionless eyes that made her wonder. He smiled warmly towards her before speaking. Mia had also noticed that he was bruised upon the forehead and bloodstains were on his white uniform shirt.

"Mia, oh hi." Sage greeted as his mother came forward and smiled towards Mia, too.

"Hello, Mia."

"Hello, Ms. Umeko." Mia bowed before looking at Sage again. He didn't say anything as he put his head down.

"Oh, Sage." Ms. Umeko kept smiling, "For your question, Mia, Sage is here because of a friend. She's been hurt badly and is very ill."

"A friend?" Mia smiled, "Wouldn't you call it a girlfriend? Anyway, why is she here? What happened?"

"Well, apparently when my son was following this girl to get some help on his algebra homework, she was ambushed by these band of thugs. So, in short, she was injured in the fight."

Sage looked up in the sky as his mother told the story he told her that day. Mia looked sorrowfully towards him as he rubbed his head.

"I'm going to bring Sage home so he can get some rest. I'm sorry that I can't talk more, Mia, but I must get him home and then back over here to monitor my patients."

"Oh, I can bring him home, if you don't mind." Mia offered willingly.

Umeko's mouth faltered in a frown as she was thinking and then as fast as it came it disappeared with a happier smile fading across her face.

"I'm sure Sage will be happy to go home with you instead of his old momma." Umeko laughed as Mia smiled.

"You're not that old, Ms. Umeko."

"Oh thank you, my dear." Ms. Umeko smiled and ushered Sage to go with Mia. Sage sighed in with relief that his mother wasn't going to say anymore. A nurse had come and told Umeko that one of her patients were having a fit for a cigarette. "Excuse me. One of my patients is having a fit. I'll see you at home, honey? And thanks again, Mia." Umeko followed the nurse into the hospital.

Sage followed Mia to her jeep and opened the door after she unlocked it. Mia noticed that Sage seemed tensed about something. She wanted to ask what was wrong but didn't because of the loss look in his eyes.

Cye watched as Kento and Maia were kissing and felt a pang in his heart of jealousy. Of all the dumb things for Kento to do! Cye thought as he backed away from the opened door. He grumbled all the way down to the elevator and went down into the waiting room.

Sage couldn't keep his eyes open as Mia drove through the traffic. It had already been twenty minutes since he left Kyoko at the hospital. Mia saw that he couldn't keep his eyes open so she left him alone as her thoughts came too.

She thought about how she felt about Sage. Why did she have that feeling? And why did it have to be Sage? She just couldn't figure it out for the most part and she always wondered what he had done for her to feel that way.

She couldn't get it out, whatever it was. Mia, after all, was a year older than he was and besides, she wasn't in his league by far. He was the most beloved guy in school by all the girls, dazzled by all the women, and hated by all the guys.

'How.how did you get in my thoughts when all of the other guys have their special temptation too?' she thought in her mind as she drove down another street to get to Sage's house.

Kyoko looked into the afternoon sky as she thought about all the possibilities why Sage had held her.

'Come on, Kyoko, you know, as much as I do that you will never be his. Even though you almost kissed him.' Kyoko thought as she had looked away from the cloudless sky. Feeling very heavy, she rubbed her eyes out of sleep and made herself get out of the hospital bed. She hated being over at the hospital. She just wanted to be home with her mother and be there for her. But no, she had to run into trouble. That was when she had gasped.

Kyoko put her hand on her head as she remembered what she forgot to do.

"Oh crap. I forgot to say thank you to Sage for coming to my rescue." Kyoko said as she sat down with a groan. He had just risked his life for her and she forgot to thank him. How rude of her to have done that. She really could have kicked herself at times. 'I can thank him later I guess.' She mentally nodded as she staggered from the bed to the window.

'It's so stuffy in here.' She opened the window to feel the light breeze billowing in the wind.

At that moment, a nurse came in, abruptly transmitting her out of her thoughts completely. The nurse glared at her as she brought in dinner for the patient.

"Here you go!" the nurse grumbled as she placed the food on the tray. Kyoko watched as the nurse stomped out.

"Jeez. Touchy." Kyoko said as she staggered back to the bed, pushing the gross sediments away and trying to get into the bed slowly, careful not to hit her wrist. She then laid down and tried to go to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: (There Gotta Be) More To Life

The starlit moon sparked the imagination of those who viewed it. It was a beautiful scene when Sage walked out of his house to look at the endless cycle of the atmosphere. He sighed as he leaned upon the railing of the two-story house balcony.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked himself in a whisper, "Why is it that I even went after Kyoko. And why is it that I'm getting tired of Takani? This isn't who I am."

"What are you thinking about?" came a voice all too familiar. Sage turned around and felt annoyed by the fact that he wasn't alone. He saw Yayoi leaning against the double doors leading towards his room.

"Yayoi, what are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping off your ugly face."

"Don't play games with me, Seiji, I know that you are still with those girls and if I recall, we did make a bet."

"Not sufficiently though. We didn't bet on anything."

"True, but you did make a bet to try to get away from those girls." Yayoi reminded with a smirk. "And you did break it. So that means I've won the bet."

"Like I said, Yayoi, we didn't make a true pact and then we really didn't bet on anything."

"Well, lets make another bet."

Sage sighed exasperated and looked at his sister annoyingly. "What is your problem with making my life more miserable than it already is."

"Sisterly love."

"Feels more like sisterly hate. Just go away, Yayoi," Sage looked away from his sister.

"I'm not trying to make your life miserable, but I just like to tease you. Come on, humor me, Sage."

Sage sighed. "Fine, what bet is it this time? It better not be over the moon."

"Believe me, poofy, it's not."

Sage rolled his eyes at his sister as she came around him.

"Well, you see, I heard that you were interested in a girl named Kyoko Sakai."

"How the heck.man, I told mom to not say anything about that. Look, she only wanted me to stay with her."

Yayoi put her hand up and quieted him down.

"I understand that, but not the way she said you were both gonna kiss." Yayoi laughed. "Don't worry, nobody knows, yet."

"Yet? Okay, Yayoi, where is this going?"

"Well the bet is this."

"Nobiyuki? Where is my daughter?" Mizami asked the paramedic assistant.

"She is at the hospital, Mizami."

Mizami sat up in her bed weakly. "What did you say?" She asked frighteningly. "Why is my daughter at that nasty place."

"Relax, Mizami, relax. She is doing fine." Nobiyuki pushed his patient down and covered her up once more. She didn't look too happy for being treated as a child.

"Tell me, Nobiyuki, please tell me why she is in the hospital."

Nobiyuki sighed and smiled at the same time as he started to tell her what happen and why her daughter was in the hospital.

Cye sighed as he waited for Kento to get down from Maia's room. He felt so disgusted with Kento for even kissing Maia like that and even after what happened to her. How dare he! He thought venomously. How dare Kento do something so horrible!!

Cye caught himself...He felt a tear roll down his face as he was feeling somewhat hurt that Kento and Maia were upstairs and kissing. Why did he feel this way? If he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was in love with Maia and jealous of Kento. Whoa…he thought….I can't be jealous of Kento…no I can't...He fought so hard to tell himself that he wasn't but the conscious inside of him told him that he was lying.

You're lying to yourself, you love her and don't you dare not admit it! Come on, admit it Cye…for the first time in your life you're jealous of Kento and if you confront him now he'll say the same thing I am...Don't deny your feelings.

"No, I can't...I can't be that way." he felt his brain fall hard and his heart drop to his knees as he told himself over and over. "I can't be jealous of him…no way...no how."

Admit it…admit it...admit it...you're in love with Maia…you're in love with Maia...you're jealous.. Jealous…jealous.." the voice in his head kept on repeating over and over.

"NO!!!!!" he started to yell.

Kento came down at that moment and entered the waiting room to hear his friend screaming at his own reflection in the mirror. Kento hurried and went towards his friend.

"Cye...are you okay?" he asked as he got Cye to look at him. "Cye...what's the matter."

Cye's eyes were blood shot red as he started to feel his head cloud over. "NO! I'm not." he looked at Kento with a horrible muse and his whole dreams started to shatter. Confusing thoughts started to enter down on him and Cye got so aggravated with himself he pushed Kento out of the way and smashed the window with his bare fist. He didn't feel the pain course through his body and didn't feel the blood that spewed out. After that, he ran out of the room going crazy with all his fears, dreams, hopes, and muses crashing down to the ground.

A mask of red and blue and brown blur seemed to surround her, her breath becoming short with every movement. Whispers and words could be heard being thrown at her with hatred and confusion rushed through her veins. She tried to run away from them in hopes to never hear those words again, but they kept coming back to her more and more obvious to the max.

"No, get away. I'm not a whore! Why do you treat me so unkind! What did I do to you!"

"Nothin, all you did was sleep with a guy that was mine and now is forever lost to me because of your stupidity. You will now pay for your impertinence."

"Takani, please, hear me out. I didn't do anything. I promise you."

"Why beg bitch, you'll never be forgiven. You'll always be an outcast and you'll never find true love." Takani's evil face showed through the dark mist.

"Stop it!" Kyoko screamed as they tried to grab her and put her in a mysterious room. "MOMMA! DADDY!!! Please!!!!" she begged and begged as the voices chanted whore...over and over again in a tormenting way. Tears flew down like a waterfall as she was chained against the wall.

"You will never see them again for what you did. Let this be a warning, stay away from Sage."

The voice faded away.

Kyoko sat up in sweat and tears that cascaded down like a wild river. She started to cry in her hands and kept hearing the words chanting in her head as the moonlight shimmered upon her for her comfort.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Tomorrow

"Yet? Okay, Yayoi, where is this going?"

"Well the bet is this." Yayoi stalled at telling him. Sage was getting angrier and she knew it.

"Come on! Tell me or no bet."

"Boy, we're anxious, aren't we?" Yayoi smirked teasingly, "Well, Mr. Impatient...lets say that you don't hang around your little girlfriends and try something new to get a girlfriend."

Sage looked confused. "Wasn't that the last bet?"

"Well, yes, it was, but it's a much better bet. You're good friends with Kyoko Sakai, are you not?"

"No…I'm not good friends with her. Why did you bring up her name anyway?" Sage asked as Yayoi smiled even more.

"Well, instead of being popular, why don't you try becoming her friend, make her the prom queen."

Sage glared at his sister. "Do you honestly think that I'll make a bet with you over that. What a stupid idea."

"Oh, really? Well how about if you don't do this bet then I'll tell mom and dad about the date July 1st, 2002." Yayoi purged on.

Sage's eyes got big but he played innocent. "What happened? Huh? You weren't even home. You were away at college with your boyfriend."

"Oh really? You really want to know what I know about that day."

"Yes, please, fill me in of what I really don't know."

"You really don't remember or you're just playing innocent." Yayoi cleared her throat. "Okay, let me explain something you might already know. July 1st, birthday of your late girlfriend Takani Misaki on her sixteenth birthday, you popped her cherry…if you get my drift."

Sage's eyes got so big it looked like they were about to pop out. "How the hell did you find out about that."

"Takani herself told all of her friends, and my friend, Sandie Morrison's little sister, told her which in turn Sandie told me."

"I can't believe she did that. After all the pleading I did with her and bargaining to not spread that. No wonder why people always smirk my way." Sage put his head in his hands as he sat down on the chair.

"So, you want the bet or no?"

"Why are you even bothering with making this bet with me? Especially when you're not in high school anymore."

"Eh, I'm bored and I have nothing else to do than make you miserable. So, what do you say?"

"Fine…just don't let mom and dad know. They'd be really pissed if they knew."

"Well, yeah…that's parents for you."

Sage shook hands with Yayoi and then walked away. Yayoi was smiling as he slammed the door.

"Did you tell him?" a voice said behind her.

"Yep…believe me. He's going to do what he's supposed to do."

Two days passed after the incident and Kyoko was rushed to the hospital. It seemed like forever that they would let Kyoko out. Her mother was there in the wheelchair with Mr. Ti'saki at her side. Kyoko was slowly walking out of the elevator with Mrs. Date who had a smile on her lips.

"Hello again, Mizami, my friend. How are you doing?"

"A little tired, but other than that, I'm fine. How are you?"

"Tired, burnt out, but all the same still crazy as ever."

Mizami smiled at her friend and then at her daughter.

"Mommy!" Kyoko ran towards her mother weakly. She still had some blood missing and had to take iron pills to get her strength back. She hugged her mother with fierceness.

"Oh my child, it's so good to see you again." Mizami hugged and kissed her daughter repeatedly.

"Momma? Are you okay? You seem weaker."

"Oh hullabaloo, I'm fine and don't you dare ask me that again."

"Sorry momma." Kyoko smiled. "I know how you feel being in this hospital." She had whispered.

"Now, Kyoko, you must keep taking that iron, other than that, I see no problem. But you come see me if you feel dizzy, even though it's a small spell."

"Yes...Ms. Umeko."

"To make sure, I'm going to have my son look after your well-being from sun up to sun down, then Mr. Ti'saki will for about two weeks. Besides, you promised to help my son with his Algebra II."

Kyoko looked surprised. "Ms. Umeko...I didn't promise any…"

Ms. Umeko looked at her sternly. Even her mother looked at her with a look of sternness. "Fine…fine…whatever floats ya'll's boat."

"That's more like it." Ms. Umeko smiled as they all filed out of the building. "Now…remember, meet a block away from your house."

"Yes ma'am." And that was all that was said as Mr. Ti'saki brought them home.

Cye felt so guilty to what he had done two days ago at the hospital. He walked to school with a solemn look on his face and didn't look at anything but the sidewalk that passed him by.

'I can't believe the way I acted. How jealous I was…that's not like me...I don't really like Maia that way. I love her as a friend, but.' He sighed as his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey, Cye.//what's the matter? You look terrible."

Cye stopped his walking, slowly turned around and looked at Rowen and Ryo who were walking up to him.

"Oh. Hi, Ryo, Ro." Cye said and then turned around and started to walk like he had before he was interrupted.

Ryo and Rowen looked at each other with each their own strange looks and then ran up to catch up with Cye. "Cye hey...buddy...what's the matter? You're never this down?"

"Why should it matter anymore? All I ever do is wallow in my pity."

"Wha." Ryo smiled, "Cye, you're not making any sense."

"Nothing ever makes sense any more, Ryo...it never did and never will." Cye snapped as he turned the corner fast and walked away from his friends.

"Ryo...something is very wrong with this picture."

"Yeah, I agree. Kento is not here with his big talk, Sage is nowhere to be found, Mia isn't either, Cye is bugged. Man. talk about something that makes you wonder."

"Yeah. I know. I'm just wondering though, if Cye's being depressed has anything to do with this Maia Grey person who got raped by her boyfriend."

"I don't know, but I hope that this ends right now. I can't have anything more depressing in my life."

"Yeah. I know what you mean, but Ro. Does she feel the same or does she even know that you love her?"

Rowen sighed. "No. Her heart belongs to someone else. She'll never want to be with me." Rowen shrugged it off. "Come on. It doesn't matter. What matters right now is that we need to get to school."

Ryo smiled and nodded as they started running to get to their school before the bell would ring.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Basis for Discussion

Sage walked towards Kyoko's house where his mother had given him directions. He was kind of agitated because he had to baby-sit a girl but indifferent to his feelings, another part of him was sort of happy that his mom made him go at her aide.

For some odd reason, Kyoko was the only girl in school that wasn't a complete airhead. He felt compelled to become her friend, yet the longing for becoming more popular etched in his mind, then Yayoi's bet came into mind.

How could Takani tell something that was supposed to be intimate, not browbeating between two so-called lovers? He was just sixteen at the time. Okay, so that was a year ago precisely two months ago but he grew up from then, or so according to his mother and father. But he had matured from then, he knew he did. His thoughts were interrupted as he got towards Kyoko's house where his mother had told him it was.

Kyoko looked in the mirror and saw that her face was still bruised. She sighed as she brought the brush up to her black curly hair and began to try and straighten it out. She tried for about another 10 minutes before she gave up and put it up in a ponytail holder. She looked at her reflection again.

She was a very pretty girl, give and take a few quirks that needed to be worked out with her glasses and hair, but other than that she was pretty, in her own little way. She gave up on making herself up and did a makeup job on her bruised cheek. She only had put base on and ran out the bathroom when she heard the doorbell ring.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold on." She said under her breath as she checked on her mother who was sleeping soundly and not bothered by the doorbell ringing. She put on her shoes and finally opened the door with her good hand, the other one still bounded with medical bandages. "Hi," she said out of breath as she got her book bag from behind the door and closed the door behind her.

"Hi," he said un-enthused as they started walking towards school. Silence was all known between them until he got a little uncomfortable. "So," he started, "you live in a nice house."

"Thank you," Kyoko said as they continued on walking in silence. Sage groaned inwardly. It was hard to talk with this girl. Besides, he was usually the one who let the girls talk anyway. "I see you didn't get lost too bad?" She finally said after a few minutes of more silence.

"No, actually I knew where you lived when my mom had told me you lived by my aunt's house."

"Who's your aunt?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"She's really my great aunt, but her name is Sasami, Junko. She lives about two houses away from you."

"Yes, I see. She's nice. Every year for Christmas, she brings us some cookies." Kyoko gave a small smile as she looked up into the nice blue sky. It was a rarity for her to have a smile on her face, but today was much more different now that she actually had somebody to talk with.

"So, how's your mother?" Sage asked with no intention of prying.

"She's fine. She's just tired."

"What's wrong with her? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Kyoko nodded no in saying that she didn't mind. "No, I don't mind. It's not like it's a private ordeal. She's been under heavy treatment for her sickness."

"What kind of sickness does she have?" Sage asked, slowing down a bit after he saw they had plenty of time to get to school. By the look of his face, he seemed intrigued by this girl he thought was under his status.

"She was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago." Kyoko said kind of sadly, but held in the tears.

"I'm sorry," Sage said with sincerity.

Kyoko started laughing and Sage looked at her like she went crazy. Why was she laughing? He had asked himself in his mind.

"Sorry? There's nothing to actually be sorry about, I'm going to be seventeen in less than a month and next year I'll be graduating, maybe with honors." She stopped when she felt she was talking way too much. Then it hit her, the words echoing from her dream. 'Stay away from him, you don't belong to him, I do.' Kyoko clamed up again as they were close to the school building. Sage's eyebrow went up in question but before he could ask what was wrong, Takani and her buddies came up to him with smiles on their faces.

"Sagey-chan!" Takani wrapped her arms around his waist. He groaned inwardly and looked to see where Kyoko could have gone too. He saw that she was just going into the building.

"Ta-Takani! Get off! You're crowding me!" Sage practically yelled at the top of his lungs at Takani about her death grip. Takani looked up at her boyfriend or whom she thought was still hers and hers alone with teary eyes.

"Sagey-chan? What's the matter? You never acted this way before? Let me guess, it's Kyoko Sakai, isn't it! Tell me!" Takani's eyes became radiant as the sun with temper. Sage got her arms from around his waist and pushed her aside with a hard thrust.

"Takani," was all that Sage said with a stern glance and walked away. Big rumors were going around that Sage had now stopped dating Takani and now was on the prowl for fresh bait as he walked through the courtyard. His teeth gritted but he didn't say anything. He just kept on walking like the true warrior he was.

Mia walked through the courtyard just about the same time Sage had entered the gates. She was walking kind of fast, not watching where she was going when she collided with Sage, who was still steaming of what people were rumoring about.

"Oof," Mia made the sound as she fell on her backside. She grimaced at the pain as she rubbed her tailbone.

"Will you kindly watch where you're going next time, buddy?" Mia looked up at the guy who she accidentally ran into but assumed it was his fault. Her eyes became wide with apology as she helped Sage pick up his books. "I'm soooo sorry, Sage. I didn't see you there."

"It's alright, Mia. No harm done. Why were you in such a hurry?" he smiled, which made Mia melt.

"I've got to give my credentials to the principal before school starts so that he can transfer them from Shinsha University whenever I graduate this year to Harvard."

Sage was taken aback at that. "Mia, I had no idea. I thought that you wanted to study more about your grandfather's study?"

"Well, what I want to get into to help me is commercial arts. The professing job cannot be done unless I have an overall score from a highly respected college from a different college. It shouldn't be too hard, considering I am valedictorian of my class this year."

Sage and Mia started walking along each other's side. "When do you leave for Harvard?"

Mia laughed, "I only leave when I know I get in. But if I do get it, I will probably leave two weeks prior graduation."

"But that's not until June when you graduate. That's three months from now." Sage said unsure of how he felt about the situation.

Mia nodded, "I know that. I probably won't get in though. Harvard only selects a few at a time and believe me, they have much more smarter people with bigger resumes that of what I have."

"You have quite a resume, Mia. That I'm sure of."

Mia smiled brightly at him, "Thanks, Sage that's really sweet." She planted a kiss on his cheek. Before he could say anything from the stunned silence, she walked away with a red face. All of the kids took this to new heights and began to fill in the rumors more in depth. Meanwhile, a pair of eyes glowered with revenge.

Cye trudged to school without even stopping for Kento who was running and yelling to get his attention. Kento was out of breath when he finally got near Cye's retracting form. Kento walked backwards in front of Cye, who didn't look at him, much less greet him. Kento's face faltered as he tried to get Cye's attention.

"Hey, Cye? Yo buddy? Are you okay? You seem down? Do you feel any better from two days?" Cye still didn't answer, never looked up and never acknowledged his friend, "Cye, why won't you talk to me and why don't you ever answer my phone calls anymore?" Kento pleaded on.

Cye looked up with careless eyes, "Why the hell do you think I didn't answer my phone, you donkey brain doofus."

"Whoa, okay Cye buddy, I don't understand why you're calling me names, which like you haven't done that before, but what did I do to disserve the silent treatment?"

"You, Kento, that's why. It's all about you isn't it. Well, enough is enough. You can have her." Cye pushed Kento away, making him almost trip over his own feet. Kento looked concernedly at his friend's limp back. Why was Cye acting like this? He really didn't know, but he did know one thing. Cye was in the middle of the road, therefore very dangerous. Before he could put actions to words. He ran towards him after the flaring of horns went into silences and crashing sounds and braking sounds could no longer be heard. In all slow motion, it felt as though it was not real. Kento's eyes became big with tears as he..

"CYE!!!!!!!!!!!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Bad Charms

Kyoko sighed as she got into the building. 'That was too close for comfort. I better just walk with him, then just blow him off. I mustn't do anything to draw attention. Quiet as a mouse.'

"Hey, Kyoko!" Sage ran up to her and greeted her with a small smile. She groaned inside. 'Of course, my luck.'

"Eh, hi, Sage." Kyoko gave a weak smile as she got to her locker and opened it up.

Sage was confused with the greeting. Just a while ago, she was friendly and opened up then what most girls he ever met did.

She sighed as she tried to ignore him and to at least avoid him further but he didn't budge. He waited until she got her first books for morning classes and walked with her to the first period they shared together. They had English VI together for first period. They had first period together, second period, which was Chemistry, and fifth period, which was PE.

"What's the matter?" Sage asked with a concerned glance.

"Nothing, why?" Kyoko asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Well, I thought that we were communicating back there really well and then when Takani and her group came towards me, you bailed. Why? Are you that afraid of them?"

At that question, she snorted and shook her head. "No, I'm not afraid of her, I just don't like to talk with her especially after." She paused and then told herself not to go on as she walked faster than usual. Sage caught up with her and had a weird concentrating look on his face. Then it hit him.

"Did Takani and her group tell you something?" Sage asked, looking at her with anger etched in his eyes.

"It isn't any of your business even if they did. But no, I just don't like them because all of my life I had to deal with people like them. I don't even know why you're even talking with me right now because I feel as though I'm beyond your status. So, just do as your mother ordered you to do. Walk me to school and back." Kyoko huffed off and then went to first period.

Sage looked perplexed at Kyoko's retreating form as it entered first period and sat down, taking out her bell-work book and casting her eyes towards the board to see what they had. Sage shook his head and then went to his desk and did the same, planning on getting her to sit with him at lunch with his friends.

Cye trudged to school without even stopping for Kento who was running and yelling to get his attention. Kento was out of breath when he finally got near Cye's retracting form. Kento walked backwards in front of Cye, who didn't look at him, much less greet him. Kento's face faltered as he tried to get Cye's attention.

"Hey, Cye? Yo buddy? Are you okay? You seem down? Do you feel any better from two days?" Cye still didn't answer, never looked up and never acknowledged his friend, "Cye, why won't you talk to me and why don't you ever answer your phone calls anymore?" Kento pleaded on.

Cye looked up with careless eyes, "Why the hell do you think I didn't answer my phone, you donkey brain doofus."

"Whoa, ok Cye buddy, I don't understand why you're calling me names, which like you haven't done that before, but what did I do to disserve the silent treatment?"

"You, Kento, that's why. It's all about you isn't it. Well, enough is enough. You can have her." Cye pushed Kento away, making him almost trip over his own feet. Kento looked concernedly at his friend's limp back.

Why was Cye acting like this? He really didn't know, but he did know one thing.Cye was in the middle of the road, therefore very dangerous. Before he could put actions to words.He ran towards him after the flaring of horns went into silences and crashing sounds and braking sounds could no longer be heard.

In all slow motion, it felt as though it was not real. Kento's eyes became big with tears as he watched in horror that the oncoming big truck hit his friend.

"CYE!!!!!!!!!!!" Kento ran towards Cye's limp form as the truck came to a complete stop after the incident.

It couldn't be explained. It happened so fast that in a blink of an eye, Kento was holding in his hands, his friend, who was bleeding practically from everywhere he could imagine. Tears were streaming down as Kento kept on repeating Cye's name.

"Call an ambulance!!!!" he called out towards the people who were coming around to see who was down. Nobody moved and Kento became furious. "CALL THE FREAKIN' AMBULANCE!!"

Somebody finally went to a payphone and called an ambulance. Kento kept him in his arms until paramedics showed up. Kento moved out of the way to let the paramedics take Cye. Cye was put on the stretcher at a matter of an hour and rushed to the hospital, Kento riding with his friend.

At lunch, Sage met up with Ryo and Rowen. Sage had wondered where Kento and Cye were but the guys hadn't seen them both all morning.

"I wonder if something happened to them." Rowen said worriedly.

"Yeah, I know because they wouldn't miss lunch or even school for that matter."

"Sage, don't you have fourth period with Kento."

"Yeah, I do. But he wasn't in there this morning."

"Hmm. That doesn't sound right. I know that Kento would miss a day even if he were not ill. And Cye sure in heck wouldn't miss one day without really being ill."

"Yeah, Ryo, you're right..."

At that moment, a guy came rushing up to their table as they just sat down, looking very frantic. All of the guys were confused at this action.

"Ken-Ken---Ken." The boy couldn't come out with his words.

"Ken? What? What's the matter with Kento?" Sage asked concerned.

"He...he called and he wants you to get to the hospital a.s.a.p. The Principal has already excused you. It's something to do with your friend Cye."

They all got up by this time and left their food in the same spot. They ran towards the doors and asked for one of the school administrative to drive them to the hospital in the middle of town. From there, they got to the hospital in time where they met up with Kento who had his head in his hands in the waiting room.

"Kento...what happened. Where's Cye?" Ryo asked concernedly and quickly.

Kento looked up with a tear stricken face as he looked at them with red puffy eyes.

"He's dead...Cye...he's dead..."

Silence was all they knew for quite some time...

Kyoko sighed with relief as the final bell rang. She went to her locker and got some books out. Today was such a hectic day. All she wanted to do was go home and talk with her mother. She was about to open with her locker when the principal came up to her with sad looking eyes.

"Kyo-Kyoko could I see you in my office please."

"Sure, Mr. Yoshiko." Kyoko closed her locker door, and went with Mr. Yoshiko to his office. They entered his office and she sat down as he recommended it. "Mr. Yoshika, what's the matter?"

He was quiet for a while before he took a seat as well.

"Kyoko, I'm going to be blunt as ever but, your mother has..."

Maia was walking up and down the hall to get exercise from staying in the hospital bed for more than three days now. They had to keep her under surveillance until they had caught her boyfriend. Midori, Kenji, and Kasai all visited her after school every day that week and were living with a kind neighbor for the time being who was a cop. She heard some noises from outside as she walked outside with a guard next to her just in case something would happen.

The guard moved along with her as she was curious to know what was going on. She saw the stretcher come off of the now stopped ambulance and saw Kento get out. Doctors filed out as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Kento!" she tried calling his name but the sounds of the ambulance, the doctors ordering and just every thing seemingly to go in slow motion. Then she saw him, her friend bloody and lying unconscious to the world on the stretcher moving into the hospital doors. All she saw was blackness after that...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Broken Arrow

"As I lay my head down,

Will you laugh and criticize me

Because I have emotions and feelings...

Won't you lend me a hand...?

To get me out of this rain storm

This turmoil is too much...

I can't bear it..."

By Kris.

He was quiet for a while before he took a seat as well.

"Kyoko, I'm going to be blunt as ever but, your mother has..." He paused at what he was fixing to say as he gulped on some water, making Kyoko angered at the wait.

"Mr. Yoshika, please, tell me, is my mother alright?" Kyoko asked concerned.

"Um...Kyoko-san, this is so hard to tell you but she's..."

"Dead."

"Dead? What do you mean dead? Come on, Kento, he can't be dead. No way can he be dead." Tears came to Rowen, Sage and Ryo's eyes. They couldn't believe it. No way could their quiet friend be gone. Ryo lashed out of all emotion and grabbed Kento by the collar.

"You're lying. This is just one of your terrible jokes to tell us that he's okay. Right! You're lying! I can tell!!" Ryo was about to punch him when Sage and Rowen held him back. Kento just sank back down, direr in his own little world. Ryo collapsed to his knees as Rowen and Sage sat down, making sure that Ryo was all right before they bowed their heads down.

"Is-is it true to what you say, Kento?" Rowen asked quietly as everything seemed to edge off for a while.

"That's what the doctors told me when he entered the ER. They said that he might not even make it. The damage was too much of an impact on his weak heart. I didn't know he had a heart murmur." Kento started crying as the doctor came in, looking grim. They all sat up, trying to console Kento while listening to what the doctor was going to tell them.

"So, is our friend really gone?" Sage asked what all his buddies really wanted to ask.

"He's not gone persay, but he is in a deep coma."

They all sighed in relief but still saw the grim face in the doctor's face.

"What do you mean he's not gone persay?" Rowen questioned with intense eyes.

"Well, he's in a deep coma that people rarely come out of." The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, but he might not make it in the next week. I give him only three days at the most."

"Wha?" The guys asked with confused looks.

"Well, he is in a shocked state right now and if he doesn't come out of that coma, then we cannot perform surgical operation on him in fear he'll go even in a worse state of shock." The doctor informed them with sadness in his eyes. The doctor left them the moment he saw that they wanted time alone.

Umeko came in that moment and hugged her son. "I heard. Oh guys. I'm so sorry." Umeko said this as she hugged all of the boys. Umeko smiled and then frowned. All of these boys were like a son to her. She felt as though she had to protect them. As she was thinking this, a nurse came in.

"Doctor Date, you're needed in the ER. Mrs. Sakai just went under cardiac arrest."

Umeko's eyes went wide with shock and sadness and excused herself. She followed the nurse towards the ER room.

"Hey, isn't Mrs. Sakai Kyoko's mother?"

Sage's eyes went wide with realization.

"Oh Gods!"

"What?" Ryo asked his friend concernedly.

"Kyoko! I forgot about Kyoko! Guys, I'm sorry but I have to go. Call me tonight to see if there's any changes with Cye."

"Okay, will do, buddy." Rowen said as he watched his friend race towards the door and out into the snow. It was the first day of winter and the first day to snow. When they had noticed it, it was snowing.

"Be careful buddy." Rowen mumbled under his breath.

"Ro? Is Kyoko Sage's new girlfriend?"

Rowen put up his hands and smirked. "Hey, I haven't been able to get in touch with him in the last four days so don't ask me any questions."

The guys narrowed their eyes.

"Kyoko...your mother's in a coma."

The shocking news left her numb all over. Her eyes shifted low, not saying or doing anything. She was partly relieved that she was in a coma but if she was in a coma then that meant that she was soon to die. She wiped her tears away gradually and stood up. This surprised the principal but not as nearly as what happened next. Kyoko stood up and bowed towards the principal.

"Thank you, Mr. Yoshika." She managed to say calmly, even though she was breaking down inside.

"Shall I get one of the super-attendants to bring you home?" Mr. Yoshika asked concernedly.

"No sir, I'll be fine." Without any other saying, she slowly walked out of the principal's door as everybody was gathering out of the school building. She wondered what was everybody's problem for pointing at her and snickering and whispering stuff. Takani came up to her and started snickering.

"So, what's the matter. You sad because Sage is not yours." Takani smirked, seeing the tears building up in her eyes

"Leave me alone, Takani."

"Oh look girls, look who's bulling. I guess that it is true. He is going for Mia as of now." Her two friends, Hitomi and Akemi started snickering. Kyoko rolled her eyes. She didn't care right now if they were near her. All she wanted to do was go to the hospital to see her mother. She tried to go around but Hitomi grabbed her by the collar and pushed her against the lockers.

"Where the hell are you going?" Hitomi sneered.

"Where else, my house." Kyoko showed her teeth, which didn't faze them a bit.

"You're not going anywhere until you fess up."

Kyoko looked at them, ready to kill. "About what! What do I have to fess!"

"Oh come off it. You know that you're a ya know...what everybody's calling you."

"And what's that?"

"Oh girls, we better get away. She might have cooties." Akemi snickered.

"Wha?"

"Hmm. Should we tell her girls?"

The other two nodded as Takani asked this. Takani smirked and pointed up. Kyoko followed Takani's finger and gasped...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Rainy Days

"Hmm. Should we tell her girls?"

The other two nodded as Takani asked this. Takani smirked and pointed up. Kyoko followed Takani's finger and gasped. There, hanging all on the lockers, pictures of her in her bikini and on the side of her in big bold letters, "SLUT."

Takani and all of her buddies were snickering, and all of the students in high school started chanting the word. Kyoko fell to her knees, tears flowing down.

"Stop...please make it stop." It felt as though everybody was against her. Of all the times for her to get shunned and battered. She was so vulnerable to this and she had let it go on for far too long.

"TAKANI!"

Well, here we are, Sage." The counselor said with a smile. Sage smiled back.

"Thanks, Mrs. Reyna, you're the best."

"Anytime Sage, anytime." She smiled and winked and then drove away as Sage hurried from the parking lot and into the south hall. He went towards Kyoko's last class and asked where she was. Mr. Yoyto was extremely praising of Kyoko.

"Please, Sensei Yoyto, I want to know where she is?" Sage said in a desperate question.

"She was called into the principal's office at the end of class just about thirty minutes ago." Sensei Yoyto graciously gave the information.

"Thank you..." Sage said and ran out of the classroom and into the rightful hall where the principal's office was located. He started hearing some kind of chanting of the word...slut. He wondered why everybody was in school at this time of day. He came to the conclusion that some kind of rowdy thing was going on. He didn't know whom they were calling slut until he found...

"TAKANI!" Kyoko jumped up as she screamed this out. Her face was hardened, never before seen by her classmates. She had no emotion in her eyes as well as forgiveness as she usually had when people made fun of her. This had gone too far and she wasn't going to let it happen anymore.

Just because she was hanging out with Sage or just walking with him and her trying to mind her own business they had to interfere with what she had nothing to do with. Unknown tears began to fall as she glared daggers at the one person who had been giving her hell since she became a teenager. Kyoko's mind wondered off before she knew what she was doing.

She went to the simple place where she had always gone too when somebody was making fun of her. She used to be friends with these people but they shunned her out when her mother became ill and she began staying home after school, becoming in debt to her mother.

She had longed for her mother to recover so she helped anyway possible even though her mother disapproved to such a change in her daughter. Her daughter used to be so wild and so cheerful even though her father had left them a great deal of grief that was even too much for her to bear as well.

But when Kyoko's mother got weak and then diagnosed with cancer of the lungs, Kyoko buried herself in her books and her appearance changed along with her daughter's wild interior.

The people that she had played with at elementary school, the ones that had been her best friends growing up, who went to tea parties with. People who had slept over many times over as children, awaiting one day that they could become even closer and go out with their boyfriends or girlfriends.

But that all changed when Kyoko's mother became ill as previously stated. She could have sworn that her friends were behind her one hundred percent. But of course life didn't go that way.

Ryo and Rowen both stayed with Kento as long as they could but they knew that they had to go home soon to study for tests and make up work that they had missed practically all day. They had left him a few minutes ago. Just because they were excused for their friend they still had to do work as did Kento but Kento didn't worry about that. He was more concerned for his friend, his friend who didn't pay attention the truck that could have taken his life.

Why...is what he wanted to know. Why did Cye have to ignore him? What was he so angry about? No doubts because Kento pulled some kind of stunt...but what stunt could that have been...Kento sighed as he put his head in his hands, closing his eyes to think. What was wrong with Cye...he never had been that angry with Kento or that careless as he was when he walked into the truck's way.

He shook his head to get out of thought when he heard the doctor came up to him, looking grim but satisfied with the progress his patient was and looked at Kento with a smile.

"You're Kento right?"

"Yes, Doctor, is he going to be alright?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, he's in stable condition right now. Why don't you call up his parents so they can come and fill out some paper work."

"Yes, okay. Thanks doctor." Kento got up and shook hands with the doctor before going to a payphone.

The doctor was on his way when he stopped and turned around. "Oh yes, when you're done with that, you may go see him."

Kento nodded and proceeded to make that dreaded phone call to his poor weak hearted mother.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Long Shot

Maia awoke with a headache and feeling eyes staring at her. She gasped and looked up, in fear of her boyfriend...no her ex-boyfriend was there to rape her again. But to her relief it was a doctor with a very grim expression. She sat up and rubbed her head.

"Mmm. What happened?" She focused her eyes upon the doctor and her heart strained because of the grim expression.

"You've fainted, Miss Grey." The doctor cautiously said.

"I did?" She wondered as it all came flooding back to her. "Oh. I see. Now I remember." Tears became evident in her face, as she looked at the doctor in fervent hope that her friend was still alive. "Doctor, please, tell me. Is Cye Mouri alright?"

"Cye Mouri? Oh yes...he's in the care unit right now on life support..."

"May I see him?" Her eyes wondered towards his, searching for an answer.

"No...you may not at this moment."

"Why not? I demand to see my friend..." Maia determinedly and arrogantly demanded.

"As of no condition are you available to see your friend. I have some very disturbing and terrible news to report to you..."

Maia, feeling her body claming up, looked at her doctor with worried eyes...

"Doctor...please. Tell me. What is going on here? Why do you have such a grim look on your face?

"I guess you want me to be blunt as ever but. I'm sorry miss but you have AIDS's..."

Maia's heart fell to the floor and all was heard was her sobbing.

Kyoko heard her name being called...someone's rapid footsteps echoing across the hall, then warm hands finally swooping her into his arms and soothing her. She opened her eyes, her ears becoming focused on the sounds around her.

Nothing but cricket sounds were being pushed through the tense air that surrounded Kyoko and the person holding her. She looked up to see warm concern blue eyes contemplating in though to her dull brown ones that so long ago lost the flare that lived once upon a dream.

Kyoko gasped and tried to get out of his hold but he held on tighter.

"Kyoko...Kyoko are you okay? Speak to me." Sage asked, as he looked her over.

Kyoko didn't answer him. She pushed him away and ran as fast as she could. She couldn't believe what she had done...all the time she kept herself in check with her temper. She saw the terror on Takani's face, the shocked expressionless eyes of those who scorned her, Mr. Yoshika's smile faded into a disappointed frown... All of this built up in her mind as she sat in the stall and cried.

Mr. Yoshika looked at Sage and Sage looked at Takani who was glaring at him with tears streaming down her black and blue face with blood running down her lip and forehead. Sage looked away the second he looked down at Takani and then walked away. Hitomi and Akemi both helped Takani up, Takani pushing them away.

"You bastard! How dare you do that! How dare you even let that bitch do that to me! After all I did for you..."

Sage turned around and glared at Takani, "You know, what she did was actually what I would have done...especially after the way you treat her everyday of her life." Sage then turned back on his heel and walked towards the bathroom where he entered. He heard sobbing from one of the stalls. He stayed where he was at in front of the main entrance and exit of the bathroom.

"Kyoko...Kyoko, come out please."

"Go away, Sage." Kyoko whispered. "I don't want to hurt you either. I'm a monster..."

"No. That's not true. You're no monster. You had every right to do what you did out there."

There was silence for a few minutes when he spoke again. "You're bright, smart, funny, and a very great person to be around. You have everything going for you...you're actually the first girl I'm really interested in not to go out on a date with but to learn more about."

One of the bathroom stalls opened slowly and Kyoko came out with tears running down, a glare penetrating through her glasses that she wore.

"You're interested in me?" she sniffled as she wiped away her tears that fell even when she didn't beckon them to fall. Sage smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm very interested in you. You're a wonderful person full of life."

"If I'm so interesting then stop bumping into me...stop making my life so complicated...stop trying to avoid your fan-club by trying to get cozy with me because it's not working nor will it ever work and further more. I'm sick and tired of people telling me that I'm smart, I'm going to change the world someday. Just stay the hell out of my life and stay the hell away from me, Sage. Can you do that? Huh? If you're so interested in me, then leave me the fuck alone..." Kyoko screamed at him and then ran past him, running out of the bathroom before he could catch her arm.

"But that's not what I meant.." he whispered to himself.

Kento put down the phone and sighed as he finished talking with Cye's mother, Mrs. Mouri, a kind hearted sick lady that was now crying. Kento's heart felt heavy as he went walk towards the waiting room. As he sat down, he put his head back and his hands over his eyes as he thought about what had happed for his friend not to see the oncoming truck that nearly took his life away.

'What is the matter with you buddy? You've never been so careless in all of the time I've known you. How could you overlook such a thing as trying to get away from me...'

He heard a shuffling noise that made him look up. He saw Mrs. Date walking up to him with a sincere smile on her face. "Ken-san, why don't you go and get some rest. If anything happens, I promise you'll be the first one for me to call."

Kento sighed and looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Mrs. Date...how come he did that...I have...it's my fault..." restraining tears that he held back came gushing out as he put his hands over his eyes to stop them from going all over the place. Mrs. Date soothed his back and gave him comforting words that made the tears a little bit better.

"Ken-san, there was nothing you nor anybody else could have done. I promise you. Go get some rest and I will call you if anything happens."

Kento wiped away his tears and sniffled a bit, trying to clear his head of any nonsense of why Cye was acting the way he was. He nodded as he got up from his seat and let her escort him to the front of the building where he took a cab and went home.

Kyoko ran home, away from the pain, away from the guy she was puzzled about, away from the hurtful glares that penetrated from those who eyed her. She entered the house and slammed the door shut, leaning against it and sliding down tears flowing down.

'Why...why...why do they have to tease me so...what did I ever do to diserve this...daddy...why did you have to leave...this is all your fault and I hope you die...I hope you burn in hell for all the pain that you caused...oh mother...I hope you're okay...God...why...why is this happening...what will become of me...and where is Maia...where is she...'

Kyoko took control of her emotion and went to her bed where she fell down upon it and fell into a deep sleep, not waking until late the next morning..


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Heart of Stone

Kyoko wiped away her tears as she took a shower and dressed in her PJ's. She then went to find a good book to get her mind off of the troubles that had been occurring for the past two weeks. But she couldn't find anything that could actually occupy her mind. She was aggravated beyond reason. She just couldn't take it anymore. Sage had done it. What peaceful life she had, he had to bring it down just because he didn't want Takani anymore. And just because he talked with her, she was getting the worst of it.

She took the towel off her head and roughly brought the comb through her hair, breaking strands of black hair that tumbled to her shoulders. 'I'll never learn, will I?' she thought despairingly. She had absurd thoughts in her head. She sighed and then stopped combing her hair, in spite of her anger, the anger she should have felt towards Sage and his posse for doing what they've been doing since time stood still after her father left.

Her father, the bitter word of her parent tasted like bile that rose up to greet the outside. She shook her head again. 'No more negative thoughts. Maia should have called all week but she hasn't...I should have called...' She got up from where she sat on her bed and went to the kitchen where she saw the phone and picked it up.

"I'm going to call her even if it is eight," She said to herself as she grabbed the phone and started dialing the number that she knew by heart.

Sage just lay back in his bed with a sigh as he thought about the events that took him to this depression in the first place. Damn it! Why is this so complicated? I don't even know why I even wanted to go up to Kyoko like that a few weeks ago anyway. I should have asked Mia to help me... Sage groaned and flipped on his stomach.

Just as he was about to go to sleep, he heard his bedroom door open, making him prop himself upward to see whom had come in. There, in the doorframe, was Rowen. Rowen had a frown upon his face as he walked in and then closed the door,

"Hey, Ro, what're you doing here?" Sage asked a little confused of why his best friend would be in his room. He looked at the clock, which read around eight. "It's eight. Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"I, uh didn't feel like it."

Sage saw his discomfort and sat up, swinging his legs over to the side. "You..." Sage chuckled, "Mr. Smarty-pants who always has A's in class...don't feel like studying? How awkward..." Sage frowned now, since his best friend didn't have a smile on his face. "Rowen, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just well, I'm worried."

"Worried about what?"

"About Cye, about many things that's come around. Did you hear about Kyoko's mother?" Rowen seemed to take more interest outside now.

"Kyoko's mother?" Sage shook his head, "No, my mom hasn't been home since last night. She's usually back around 8. What happened?"

"She passed on...this afternoon around five. Kyoko doesn't know yet, but your mom called me tonight to come and tell you to go and tell Kyoko to her face."

Sage looked confused, "Why me? I'm not that close to Kyoko? Besides, she hates me anyway since of what happened this afternoon..." Sage looked down when Rowen cast him a frowning stare.

"What happened this afternoon?" Rowen inquired.

"My fan-club, who else?" Sage said with venom. Rowen nodded, as if he had understood his short answer. Sage sighed, "They put posters of her in a skimpy outfit, then she got so mad, she beat the hell out of Takani, it was funny, but when I tried to talk with her, she blamed me..." Sage groaned, "Girls, they're so complicated."

Rowen laughed a little to that, "Yeah and you're just the magnet for them, aren't you buddy?"

Sage grinned, "Yeah, can't help it if I'm the 'flirt king.' Can't forget that, now can I?" he said bitterly. "You have to be in my shoes to understand..."

"That's the same thing you told Kento when he asked how you could give it all up."

Sage cocked an arrogant smile, "No matter how much I'll try to get a normal life, it won't happen, will it?"

"Cut your hair...stop smilin' so prettily to the girls, then we'll see...put that cold exterior you had when we were fighting the dynasty." Rowen laughed, Sage smiled.

"I know that I could, but...I guess I'm more soft hearted than that."

"Of course you are, buddy. Now go and tell Kyoko the news before word gets around to her the bad way where she can end up killing herself."

Sage nodded and left with Rowen in front.

"Hey, Rowen?" Sage started to ask as they walked out of the house and towards Rowen's dad's car that he was driving. Sage mentally shook his head for he knew why his dad let Rowen used the car even though he didn't have his license. Rowen's dad wasn't exactly responsible for his kids, or his relationship with his young wife that he recently married. They had marital relations yes, but they hardly spoke to each other.

Rowen looked at Sage, "Yeah?" Sage was pulled out of his thoughts when Ro answered him. 

"Why is it me that is supposed to tell Kyoko that her mother passed on..."

Rowen sighed and shrugged. "I didn't relatively ask, but I sorta have a idea to why."

"Then please, enlighten me." Sage said, as he got into the car, Rowen in the driver's seat.

"Well I would and I'd love to but right now, you have to find out yourself. You'll see."

"Don't tell me my mom is planning on setting me up with Kyoko, do you suppose?"

Rowen chuckled at that and shook his head, "I don't know buddy. You'll have to see for yourself..." Rowen drove on to Kyoko's house without a further word of what his mother had secretly planned.

Nobody answered the phone. It was just ringing, ringing, and more ringing. 'Where is she? Oh no! Can it be true! Kyo must have got it off the hook again! Or Kenji, Kasai, and Midori must be on the Internet.' Kyoko hung up the phone and walked to the door, where she donned her coat and shoes and was about to open and walk out the door when the doorbell rang. She looked at the handle of the door as the doorbell rang again.

'Who could that be?' She looked through the peephole and saw Sage Date. 'Great! What does he want!' Kyoko sighed, a breath she didn't even know she was holding until she saw who it was behind the door. Something in her stomach fluttered something that made her feel warm near her chest.

'Stop it, Kyoko, it'd never happen...' Kyoko sighed again and then opened the door, leaning against the frame for a little support. Suddenly, dread began to fill her heart when she saw Sage's face. Rowen was in the car, waving at him before he left. Kyoko looked at Sage with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" Kyoko asked with a bit of surprise to her face.

"May I come in? I have to tell you something really important. It's about your mother..."

Kyoko was a little stunned and opened her mouth to say something, but withdrew and nodded, allowing him to enter her home. They walked into the living room and he sat down on the couch.

"Would you like anything to drink?" She offered courteously.

He shook his head no and then preceded to look outside, wavering his thoughts, she guessed, on how to tell her of what she might have already guessed.

"Sage...what is wrong with my mother? Your mother's my mom's doctor, so...what did she say? Will my mom come home or..." she drifted off, looking at him with solemn eyes.

"Kyoko..." Sage said softly, "I know you must probably know that...since your mom had cancer and all..."

"She's dead, isn't she?" she said more in a statement than a question, her voice wavering. Sage nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes but she promised when her mother's time passed that she wouldn't cry or shed blunt tears. But why did it still hurt so much. Why did everything just suddenly go wrong when he was around, yet at the same time, it felt so right to be near him. 'It's just folly, a school girl crush on a guy somebody can never have...' Kyoko wiped away the excess tears that fell without her knowing.

Sage was baffled. This girl was so strange. She didn't cry out in anguish, asking why or throwing a tantrum of how when a kid didn't get his way. She just spilt a few tears and then wiped them away...he felt compelled to go to her and hug her to ease the pain out of her. He shook his head. He was just a messenger and that was all...but Rowen had left...telling him to comfort her even though he didn't want to. It'd help ease the pain out.

"_When you tell her, Sage, be sure to comfort her...but not in the way that you comforted Takani for her birthday...Remember?"  
_  
Sage had just laughed at that. He knew what Rowen meant. But Sage wasn't really worried about that. What he was most worried about was how she'd react and silently she took it...doing nothing to sob or nothing to get it all out. She just looked at him with a blank look, as if shock too hold of her self-conscious mind. He sat beside her and she just looked at him with that blank stare with tears forming at the brim of her eyes.

"Kyoko." He said lightly as he touched her cheek with the palm of his hand. She leaned into him and cried, cried like a bawling child, broken beyond repair. He just held her and didn't let her go.

Kento walked down the corridor of the hospital to get to Cye's room. He had a dolphin plushie in his right arm and in his left, a get well card. 'I hope he'll be ok...' he thought as he walked into the room where Cye was propped upon the bed, still unconscious, but altogether looking better than what he had. Mrs. Mouri sat in the chair by the bed, looking at her son with tearful eyes. She then looked up and smiled lightly towards Kento.

Kento put down the plushie and the card down on the table where many cards and things that reminded Kento of a perfect circle of gifts from heaven. His thoughts were cut short when Mrs. Mouri put her fragile looking hand on his young one.

"I'm glad you came, Kento." She said with tears developing in her eyes. This surprised Kento and he gulped back of what was most feared.

"What's the matter? Is Cye ok?"

"Yes, but it's Maia...she's not doing so well..."

Kento's eyes went wide with fear, "Not...doing so well? But the last time I spoke with her she was fine..."

Mrs. Mouri lowered her eyes, "She's got AIDS, Kento..."

The rest of what his heart had set upon happiness shuttered away...made of stone...


End file.
